Win One for the Reaper
by Lost-Blue-Phantom
Summary: AU fic. What if Mistyfoot had died instead of Stonefur? How would it affect the future? Would the Warriors we know now even exist? Rated T because you'll see why later. DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first AU and I'm so glad that I did this. This is a 'What if Mistyfoot died instead of Stonefur' fic. Simply because, let's face it, Stonefur is the sexiest cat on the face of the Earth and Mistyfoot needs to bite it. Seriously. And I'm sort of those 'one event in the story changes everything and every story thereafter it' kind of people. Basically everything is totally off canon and the New Prophecy never exists! Either a bunch of you just started cheering, or a bunch of you just died on the inside. Well TNP does exist. But in a different way. Hmm, I could even use the same prophecy, but to a different extent. Hmmm . . . **

**ANYWAY. This is gonna have a LOT of blood. And a LOT of death. I warn you. If one of your favorite characters dies . . . well, they either had it coming to them, or they were set to die because I made Stonefur live. I suddenly want the Sesame Chicken in my kitchen . . . so, erm, here goes!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors and I'm positive I don't own this idea! **

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It was dark and cramped in the hole that the four cats now resided in. Stonefur sighed darkly, resting his head on his paws from the lack of food. It had awhile, since all four cats had moved freely among the clan. With him were his sister, Mistyfoot, his apprentice, Stormpaw, and Mistyfoot's apprentice, Featherpaw. Stormpaw and Featherpaw were curled up by his flank, with Featherpaw's tail barely brushing against Stonefur's flank. He stood up and gave each apprentice a lick on their foreheads.

"Stonefur?" Stormpaw murmured. His golden eyes were shining with fear. Stonefur gave his apprentice a questioning look. Stormpaw hesitated before asking, "Are we going to die?" Stonefur was struck off guard by his apprentice's question.

"I don't know." Stonefur mewed, as honestly and gently as he could. "I don't know what's going to happen. We have to stay calm, and hold our heads up high." _Until the very end. _Stonefur did not utter his final thought, but he could see that Stormpaw had read the message in his eyes.

"Someone's coming." Mistyfoot mewed urgently. "It's Jaggedtooth!" She prodded Featherpaw urgently, motioning for the she-cat to get up and head toward the back of their imprisonment. The little light that went into the hole was gone, and the reek of ShadowClan flooded their senses. Stonefur's heart began pounding against his chest.

"Come on scum." Jaggedtooth growled, grabbing Stonefur by the scruff of his neck. Stonefur twisted in the warrior's grip, attempting to fight back. Jaggedtooth simply clawed Stonefur's ear, causing it to tear and bleed. "Come on, quietly. Or I'll kill one of you." Stonefur wanted to keep fighting, but risking a life that wasn't his own . . . it just wasn't worth it. Stormpaw and Featherpaw were being pushed along by another ShadowClan warrior, Boulder. Stonefur was once again filled with the longing to battle their captors, but could not, knowing that Mistyfoot was in the hole alone, and could possibly be killed if they didn't go along with what their captors said.

As they were being pushed along toward the Bonehill, Stonefur saw out of the corner of his eye, three cats moving in the reeds. One had a black pelt, one had a thick gray pelt, and the last had a fiery ginger pelt. Stonefur's hopes soared as he saw these three cats. He knew the gray cat to be Graystripe, a former clan mate of his, and the ginger cat was Firestar, the new leader of ThunderClan. He didn't recognize the black cat that was with them, but Stonefur was able to assume that they were here to help.

"Cats of TigerClan, gather here around the Bonehill for a clan meeting!" Tigerstar yowled, his yowl echoing across the camp. Stonefur shivered at the dark tabby's voice. A ShadowClan stepped between the reeds and murmured something quickly into Jaggedtooth's ear. Jaggedtooth curled his lips back to reveal a snarl, but nudged Stonefur back in the direction of the hole.

"Where are we going?" Stonefur asked his blue eyes wide. Jaggedtooth did not respond. Instead, the huge tabby tom gave Stonefur another fierce nudge toward the hole, nearly knocking Stonefur over in the process. "Where are we going?" Stonefur growled again, unsheathing his claws and turning to face his captor.

Jaggedtooth's amber eyes gleamed maliciously and Stonefur suppressed a shiver. "Now, now," Jaggedtooth's purr was as malicious as his gaze. "We don't want to upset our valuable prisoner. Do we?" Stonefur prepared to spring at him again, but Jaggedtooth continued, "But I will slit your worthless little throat and the throat of your delectable sister if you don't do as I say."

Stonefur's fur bristled uneasily as he allowed himself to be brought to the vile hole. Being confined within its dark spaces, he realized that he was utterly alone and Mistyfoot could not be found. "Mistyfoot!" He hissed urgently, a wave of panic rising swiftly within him. "Mistyfoot, where are you?" Stumbling around, he realized that she was not here.

His eyes went wide and he flopped down hopelessly against the hard earth. His head was bowed and he dared not move, he dared not breathe. They had always been shepherded out of the hole one at a time, with many ShadowClan escorts to make sure they wouldn't escape. Why would they be grouped now? And why had Tigerstar called a clan meeting?

A small sounded came to Stonefur's ears and he looked up in horror. There were the sounds of many cats cheering, "Filth! Filth! Filth!" Stonefur began to pace, despite his weary state. What was happening? Where was Mistyfoot? And where were Stormpaw and Featherpaw?

_I can't just sit here and not know what's going on. _Stonefur thought to himself as deadly silence succumb over what seemed like moons. He began to climb up the narrow tunnel. Stonefur got as close as he could to the mouth of the hole and scented the air there. Surprsingly enough, there was no cat standing guard.

Any rational cat would've sprinted right out of there. Not Stonefur. He was too worried about his sister, his apprentice, and his apprentice's sister to go anywhere but toward the Bonehill. His urgency gave him speed, and for a moment, he was a shining image of his former self. His head was carried high and his stride was swift and meaningful.

"Well Mistyfoot?" Tigerstar's mew was impatient and at the same time mirthless. "What do you have to say? Are you willing to take the lives of these two apprentices? Or are you going to risk your own life to save theirs?"

"Don't give in Mistyfoot!" Featherpaw yowled. Jaggedtooth moved closer to Featherpaw, preparing to scratch her face with his claws. Stonefur growled softly and prepared to spring. Tigerstar shook his head at Jaggedtooth and Jaggedtooth slunk back into the crowd. Mistyfoot looked over gently at her apprentice. "Don't give in." Featherpaw whispered, her blue eyes stretched wide.

Mistyfoot gave Featherpaw a somber nod, and Stonefur thought he saw an apologetic look. Was Mistyfoot really about to kill the two apprentices? "Tigerstar." She mewed, her voice ringing out strong and clear. "I would never kill apprentices! You'd have to kill me first before you'd get anywhere near them!"

Tigerstar seemed bored with Mistyfoot's speech of defiance. "Very well." Tigerstar mewed nonchalantly. "Darkstripe, kill her now." The sleek black tabby leapt nimbly at Mistyfoot, and Stonefur closed his eyes. Mistyfoot had become weaker a lot quicker than he or both the apprentices had been. But there was no gargle coming from her throat. Stonefur opened his eyes to a slit, so he could see what was happening.

Mistyfoot had darted to one side, so that Darkstripe crashed into the sand. "Moves for an apprentice!" She taunted, her blue eyes burning with determination. She barreled Darkstripe over, and began clawing at his flank. With a grunt, Darkstripe flung Mistyfoot off of him. She skidded across the clearing, landing on her paws.

She sprung at him again, and it was just two writhing cats from there. Mistyfoot kept clawing at his fur and darting away from his blows. Darkstripe kept coming back with fiercer blows, though he was getting more irritated and frustrated as the fight wore on. Stonefur could only tell that Mistyfoot seemed to be having better comebacks than Darkstripe. Hope was burning in his eyes. Could his sister beat Darkstripe? She had him pinned on his back, her paw placed over his throat. _Come on Mistyfoot! _Stonefur cheered silently.

"Finish it." Tigerstar mewed coldly, flicking his ears at his deputy. Stonefur felt his heart stop beating against his chest. As Blackfoot launched himself at Mistyfoot, Stonefur tore himself out of the bushes, knocking into the white deputy.

"You won't lay a claw on her!" Stonefur snarled, biting down on the deputy's shoulder. "I'll flay your skin if you do!" Blackfoot knocked Stonefur on his side, and began clawing at his flank. Stonefur rolled away from the blows and pushed himself under Blackfoot and began clawing at his belly. Then, Stonefur propelled the deputy onto his back.

"Enough!" Yowled Tigerstar. The cats in the clearing fell silent and looked up him. Jaggedtooth began to fetch Stonefur and send him toward the hole. "Jaggedtooth!" The dark tabby tom was clearly displeased by the outcome of events. Yet there was something in his gaze, something that Stonefur didn't trust, it made Tigerstar look almost pleased by the outcome of the events. "Keep him in line with the prisoners! Darkstripe, Blackfoot," Tigerstar looked around the clearing. Then a satisfied smirk resided on his features. Then his gaze stopped on the she-cat standing a little way off from him on the Bonehill. "And Leopardstar. Finish her."

Yowls of protest sounded from the RiverClan cats, the loudest coming from Stonefur and the cats he could hear in the reeds. Luckily for them, No one could actually pick them out from the crowd. Leopardstar swung her head to face Tigerstar, her eyes wide. "You can't ask me to do this Tigerstar." She choked out after a moment. She wretched her gaze away from the cats that were staring up at her, and looked at her paws.

"Leopardstar no!" Yowled Stonefur, springing to his paws. "Fight this! This will be the destruction as the clan as we know it! You can't kill Mistyfoot!" Stonefur's voice with rang the desperation that he felt. His blue eyes were burning intensely at his clan leader. Would Tigerstar really force Leopardstar kill Mistyfoot?

"Leopardstar," Tigerstar's voice was silky smooth. "You know as well as I do, that leaders need to have faith in each other. And that these half-Clan scum," He spat the last word at the four cats below the Bonehill. "Have to be wiped." More quietly he added whilst baring his teeth, "You know what's going to happen to WindClan. Don't let it happen to your clan."

The words sounded in Stonefur's ears and he stood completely frozen to the spot. Leopardstar stepped down from the Bonehill. The RiverClan cats stared at her, their eyes wide as if they couldn't recognize their leader anymore. "Leopardstar," Whispered Stonefur, staring brokenly at his clan leader, as if he didn't want to recognize the once formidable she-cat named by Crookedstar to be his deputy. His voice was desperate. It was his last attempt to save his sister. "Please. Don't do this. You can't kill her."

Her voice was as broken as his faith in her was. "I'm sorry Stonefur. I must" Her voice wavered and she briefly pressed her nose against his shoulder. She sighed, "It's for the good of the clan." He stepped back, away from her. Her eyes were genuinely hurt and she went over to Mistyfoot.

Mistyfoot glanced over at Stonefur, almost as if saying good bye. She then glared at Leopardstar, her blue eyes a fiery blue. "Get it over with." Mistyfoot growled. The three cats advanced on her. Darkstripe bowled her over, while Blackfoot held her down. Leopardstar stood over her, one unsheathed paw. Mistyfoot nodded calmly at her apprentice before Leopardstar's golden spotted paw was bloodstained. "Stonefur . . ." Mistyfoot's last word came out of her torn throat. Her body jerked convulsively once, then twice, and then she was still. Featherpaw buried her muzzle in Stonefur's side. He could only wrap his tail around Featherpaw, while standing protectively over Stormpaw. His eyes were wide with shock and he felt completely numb.

"No!" Yowled a cat from the back of the group. It was Blackclaw, Mistyfoot's mate. "Leopardstar, how could you?" He pushed through the throng of cats to try to get to Mistyfoot. One of the ShadowClan warriors knocked him over and Blackclaw struggled underneath him. "Mistyfoot." He whispered despairingly.

"Stop struggling you fool!" Hissed Tigerstar. "Unless you want to join her!" The ShadowClan warrior expectantly raised his claw, but Blackclaw had stopped struggling. Stonefur looked around for Mistyfoot's kits, but could only see Dawnpaw, staring confusedly at her mother's broken body. "You see now what happens to those who dare defy me." Tigerstar's voice rang out. He then turned to the three cats that were standing there in shock, the most hurt by the. "I will let you live. Jaggedtooth, take them back to the prison!"

Stonefur glared over at the cats in the reeds, which had just stood there while his sister was brutally murdered in front of two clans. He still refused to acknowledge TigerClan as a single clan. He had heard the prophecy Bluestar had told her deputy as she lay dying. Could this fire who was destined to save the clans really Firestar? What kind of savior would stand idly by as an innocent cat was murdered? A hard nudge against his hackles was a sign he would have time to think about it in the hole. He began walking toward the hole, consumed in his thoughts. Stormpaw followed him but he noticed Featherpaw did not.

"Let's go kitty!" Snarled Jaggedtooth, cuffing Featherpaw over the ear, his claws unsheathed. She let out a cry of pain as the blood poured down the side of her silver face. Stonefur bowled Jaggedtooth over, while Featherpaw stared at Stonefur, shaking.

"Don't you lay a paw on her!" Snarled Stonefur, baring his teeth and his gray fur bristling. He began to advance on Jaggedtooth, when Tigerstar leapt in front of him. Furious blue eyes met infuriatingly calm amber ones and Stonefur turned away, gently nudging Featherpaw to her paws. He stepped back to allow her ahead. "We're not done here Tigerstar." Stonefur snarled, spitting at the TigerClan leader.

"I'm so scared." Tigerstar snarled sarcastically. Seriously he added, "Watch your back Stonefur. You never know when some cat's claws will be in it." The dark tabby padded away, with Darkstripe and Blackfoot following.

"You didn't have to save me." Featherpaw mewed quietly, looking at her paws. He licked the blood off of her face. "I was ready to take him down myself."

"I know." He murmured quietly as they were led back to the quietly. He beckoned Stormpaw closer, so both apprentices could hear what he had to say. "Now that Mistyfoot's . . ." He choked on the word for a moment. He swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Now that's Mistyfoot's gone," It nearly killed him to say the words aloud. "We need to protect each other and take care of each other. We're all we've got. I swear on my life that I will protect you both to the best of my ability."

"We'll try to protect you too!" Stormpaw mewed eagerly, head-butting his mentor's shoulder. Stonefur grinned at his apprentice, and then looked gently over at Featherpaw who looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"You promise?" Featherpaw whispered softly, her hopes and fears mixed into her tone. She was afraid she would be abandoned yet again. The blood on her face had dried to her face. She drew her paw across her face to clean the blood off. "Do you promise?" She asked.

"I promise." Stonefur murmured, nudging them both gently into the hole where they could only hope that they would get a good night's sleep. Just over Jaggedtooth's shoulder, Stonefur could see three shadows in the reeds. Perhaps they would get out of the hole sooner than they thought.

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**I almost forgot! Win One for the Reaper (for those of you who didn't recognize the title already) is track 10 on the Lost Season 1 Soundtrack. It's a sad, sad melody that is constantly played over the course of the show. Let me know what you think so far. I do take flames and concrit. Although concrit is a helluva lot nicer than flames.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner. Life DOES get hectic sometimes.**

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"She's gone." Featherpaw murmured blankly. "I can't believe she's . . . gone." Her blue eyes were wide with the horror and the shock of watching her mentor die. Stonefur could see her quivering and he guided her to his side with his tail.

"She'll never be gone."Stonefur tried to install some faith into the silver tabby. "As long as we believe in her, she will never be gone." He licked her ear gently, getting rid of the last traces of blood. "And if anything, she'll make sure we get out of here alive." He didn't believe in that last statement and Featherpaw didn't either. If StarClan had really cared about them, would they have kept them in the dreaded hole, with no food? Would they have stood by as Mistyfoot was killed?

"How are we going to get out of here?" Stormpaw asked for a moment. He had been silent, for the most part as Stonefur tried in vain to comfort Featherpaw. Hopeful yellow eyes gazed into worried blue ones. "You have a plan Stonefur, right?"

"Hold on there, Stormpaw." Stonefur mewed sharply. "We can't think about getting out of here just yet." The two apprentices gave him surprised looks. "They've done what they've wanted to do. And that was scaring us into their service. If they think that they've done that, we don't have much to fear. In the meantime, we just worry about staying alive. If we try to leave, they might kill us."

"That's a pretty big 'might'." Stormpaw murmured venomously toward his mentor. Stonefur gave him a piercing glance and Stormpaw continued spitefully, "We don't know that they'd try and kill us? We could die here if we stay any longer! You're saying you want to stay here on a feeling that you have! We could be out there! Telling the other clans what's become of us! We could tell the other clans what Tigerstar is planning!"

"Use your head Stormpaw!" Spat Stonefur, the impatience melting his gentle nature. "They killed Mistyfoot for no reason! What makes you think that they wouldn't try to stop us if we escaped? They want us confined here! Do you think they want the other Clans to know what they're doing to us here?"

"You're just scared!" Stormpaw snarled, the dark gray fur on his back bristling. "You're afraid to do anything! At least show us you're afraid instead of pretending to soothe us with lies!" Stonefur stared at his apprentice, a chill settling in his body. His heart seemed to stop beating all together, and could only focus on the young tom. "Stop lying to us Stonefur! You're treating us as if we're kits! We're not young and stupid! I don't care what you say, Featherpaw and I are leaving!" Stormpaw began marching toward the opening of the hole. He wheeled around to face Featherpaw, "Let's go Featherpaw." Stormpaw's golden eyes flashed in the gloom as the forceful growl left his throat.

Featherpaw shook her head and muttered something like, "I won't." Stormpaw gave her a look and she said louder, "I won't. Stormpaw, I know you don't want to admit this, but he's right. They'll kill you the minute you try to leave. We need to stick together. I can't lose you Stormpaw. Not you and Mistyfoot. Not in the same day." Featherpaw's blue eyes stared down Stormpaw, and reluctantly, he padded back over with his head bowed. Featherpaw opened her mouth to speak when there was a disturbance of sorts at the entrance to the tunnel.

"Yes! They're in there!" Graystripe poked his head into the den. Stonefur's eyes blazed while Featherpaw and Stormpaw bounced excitedly beside him. Stonefur scented Graystripe and Firestar at coming toward them, and he tensed.

"Father?" Featherpaw asked timidly, "Is it really you?" Featherpaw and Stormpaw pressed against their father. Stonefur gazed at Firestar as he babbled about how glad they were to see him. Stonefur could feel the rage bubbling inside him.

"Glad to see me?" Stonefur growled. "Just like you were glad to see us at the Bonehill? Where Mistyfoot died as you stood idly by?" He unsheathed and sheathed his claws to control his rising rage. He was glad to see Firestar and Graystripe, he was. However, he was furious that they stood idly by while Mistyfoot was slaughtered. _I took on almost all of ShadowClan by myself, and they didn't do a thing. _

"We'll discuss this later." Firestar mewed quickly. "We have to go. Now. Graystripe, lead Featherpaw and Stormpaw out of here. I'll be right behind you with Stonefur." The ginger tom waited for Stonefur and added, "Aren't you coming? I can help you out, if you need it."

"Listen to me, Firestar!" Stonefur snarled. "I don't care if you're destined to save the forest from 'the greatest danger ever'. I may be weak and stumbling. I may have lost Mistyfoot. But I still have my dignity. I don't need your help Firestar. I can get out of here on my own, and I'll repay your kindness once we return to ThunderClan. In the meantime, I am still a RiverClan cat. I can get out of this hole. Don't you dare try to help me out of here." Firestar stood open-mouthed as Stonefur padded out of the hole, his head held high. Gazing over at Mistyfoot's fallen body, his heart felt heavy with grief.

"I'm sorry we couldn't help her, Stonefur." Firestar murmured, touching his ginger tail tip to Stonefur's grey shoulder. Stonefur's blue eyes pierced Firestar's green was. "I really am sorry for your loss, Stonefur."

Stonefur could barely react to Firestar's words. Stonefur padded over to Mistyfoot and bent his head. His nose touched her forehead. "I'm so sorry Mistyfoot. I'm so sorry. I should've protected you. " He murmured, licking her ear. Lower, so that no one could hear him, "I failed you. I'll do what I can for Stormpaw and Featherpaw . . . just promise you won't leave me. Don't leave me, Mistyfoot. Please."

"I'll be all right, brother." Mistyfoot's voice reached his ears. "Just live up to your promise, and do the best you can. Dark times are ahead for all clans. But no matter what happens, I will always be with you." Stonefur nodded and gave his sister's corpse a despairing look before falling in step behind Firestar.

The six cats trudged out, Firestar in the lead, with Graystripe and Ravenpaw holding up the rear. Featherpaw walked alongside Stonefur hesitantly, as if she were afraid to say something to him, or ask him something. "Stonefur?" She asked softly, her silver tail flicking nervously.

"What is it?" He all but growled at her. Stonefur kept looking behind him, trying his hardest to ignore his desire to go back for Mistyfoot's body. Featherpaw had that hesitant gleam in her eyes again and he asked stiffly, "What is it Featherpaw?"

"Are you all right?" Featherpaw asked, shying away from his slightly harsh tone. "I mean, I know you're not all right, but you still seem . . . upset." Despite the gentle, honest gleam in her eyes, Stonefur's lip curled upward in a sarcastic snarl.

"Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine." He sneered. Her wounded expression did not make him feel guilty and behind him, Graystripe growled warningly. "It's not like I had to watch my only kin die, or anything like that, while three cowards hid in the bushes and did nothing!" _I can't even bring her back to say a proper good-bye. _

Graystripe piped up from behind him, "We're not cowards!" Stonefur stopped short, a strong desire to rip fur coursing through him. In that moment, he decided that his next words would be his unsheathed claws. "Why don't you come back here and say that to my face?" Muttering, Graystripe added, "You should be grateful we saved your life!"

"Gladly!" Stonefur spun around, hackles raised. Graystripe's amber eyes were furious, but a storm seemed to rage within Stonefur. "You just sat there in the reeds, while Mistyfoot was pinned under three cats. At least I tried to help her. You just sat there, eyes wide with horror. You're nothing but a bunch of cowardly ThunderClan fleabags! Led by a kittypet no less! You think, just because there's a prophecy written about him, that he's a great leader? A leader wouldn't just sit in the bushes while an innocent cat was killed!"

"Oh yeah! Because a good leader would be the one, killing the innocent cat!" Graystripe snarled, thrusting forth to stare Stonefur down. Featherpaw let out a mewl of distress and Firestar padded calmly toward the two feuding toms.

"Stonefur, I don't appreciate being scolded like a little kit. Either be kinder to me, and my companions, or go find another clan." Firestar growled. Stormpaw gave the ThunderClan leader a look of utter shock and Stonefur longed to tear him limb from limb. "It's your choice."

"Just like it was your choice to stay frozen while Mistyfoot was killed. You're not a leader Firestar. You're not anything. I have no idea why StarClan chose you to be the cat to save the forest! The only reason I'm staying, is because I made a promise to Featherpaw and Stormpaw. I told them I'd be there to protect them. And I intend to keep that promise. Now let's keep going, _please_."

Just as the six cats were about to move, a ferocious battle yowl rang out. A patrol of four ShadowClan cats was heading toward them, with Blackfoot and Darkstripe at the lead. Stonefur lashed his tail eagerly at the approaching patrol. "We should get Featherpaw, Stormpaw and Stonefur to the ThunderClan side of the river!" Ravenpaw mewed.

"Don't even think about sending me to that side." Snarled Stonefur. "In case you've forgotten, two of these cats killed Mistyfoot. There's no way I'm backing out now!" Firestar seemed extremely frustrated with him, but shepherded Stormpaw and Featherpaw along the river banks. Stonefur and Graystripe stood side by side as Blackfoot and Darkstripe headed for the stepping stones. "Blackfoot's mine." Growled Stonefur to Graystripe.

"I was just about to say the same thing about Darkstripe." Muttered Graystripe to Stonefur. "Look, if you need a claw, dealing with Blackfoot . . ."

"Thanks. I'm good." Stonefur growled. "Here they come." Blackfoot's lips curled into a sneer at the sight of Stonefur. Stonefur unsheathed his claws and leapt at Blackfoot, pinning the white tom's head close to the river. "I'll enjoy battling you."

"If you even get the chance to!" Retorted Blackfoot. "I'll tear your throat out like I tore your sister's throat." Stonefur began to quake with rage, and he pressed Blackfoot's head into the water. The tom began to struggle.

"What's that?" Growled Stonefur, putting more weight onto Blackfoot's head. The fury was taking over him like an unstoppable wave. A weight pummeled into his side, and realized that it was Darkstripe. Somehow, Graystripe had lost the black and gray tabby. But that didn't alarm him as much as Oakfur leaping into the air, landing on the same stone as Featherpaw and Stormpaw.

"Hello," Oakfur smiled evilly. "And good bye." The small brown tom was looming over Featherpaw. "I think I'll deal with you first."

"No!" Yowled Graystripe and Stonefur at the same time. Graystripe leapt on top of Oakfur. To Stonefur's horror, Oakfur slipped into the river, dragging Graystripe with him. Time seemed to stop as Oakfur's head bobbed over the river, once, then twice, then it never came up. The dark gray head of Graystripe, however, did not emerge from the watery depths.

Blackfoot stalked over to Firestar who seemed rooted to the spot. Featherpaw was huddled next to Stormpaw, their eyes wide with shock. "This isn't over Firestar. Tigerstar will come see you before the next Gathering." Firestar could only stare at the river, no light in his eyes.

Ravenpaw managed to get Stormpaw and Featherpaw on to the ThunderClan side of the border, just in time for a patrol made up of Sandstorm, Fernpaw, and Longtail emerged. Sandstorm rushed over to Firestar, murmuring something into his ear. Stonefur looked out over the swirling blackness of the river, hoping the gray head of Graystripe would just pop up in the river and come to the banks. With a dignified stride, Stonefur padded over to Firestar. "I'm sorry Firestar." Stonefur whispered. "This is all my fault."

Sandstorm touched her nose to Stonefur's shoulder. "Don't say that, Stonefur. We all know Graystripe would've done anything for his kits." He could only nod at the ginger she-cat as she continued, "You can't beat yourself up over this." She continued murmuring in Firestar's ear, leading him off of the stepping stones and on to the ThunderClan territory.

Stonefur stayed rooted to the stone, his eyes still gazing over the river. "I'm sorry Graystripe." He mewed quietly, moving from stone to stone. "I should've been there to help you. You would've helped me." He paused, waiting for something, or someone to say that he wasn't in the wrong. _Perhaps I'm just crazy. I must be . . . I lost Mistyfoot and Graystripe in the same day. _The sensible side was creeping in, and he jolted with the realization. "We have to move!" Stonefur mewed urgently. Firestar looked blank and lifeless, but Stonefur pressed on, "Tigerstar will be back, with more reinforcements than before."

"Let them come." Firestar mewed dully. "We're all going to die anyway. Why not now?" Featherpaw and Stormpaw let out little gasps, but Stonefur quickly silenced them. "We might as well welcome Death with open minds."

"We can't let the loss of Graystripe bring us down." Stonefur mewed. "If we do, we'll just lose more lives."

"You're one to talk." Firestar hissed.

"Enough!" Longtail mewed. "Both of you. We need to get back to camp and address the clan. Firestar, you need to address our clan. Prove to us why Bluestar chose you as our leader and not someone else." The pale tabby glanced over at Stonefur, "I know you're used to being a deputy and all, but you'll hold your tongue during our mourning." Stonefur could only nod as a sign that he understood.

"We don't even have a body to bring back." Firestar mewed quietly, looking down at his paws. Stonefur began to head toward the riverbanks, preparing himself to prowl along the edge for some sign of Graystripe. "Stonefur, don't." Firestar mewed dully. "You don't need to prove yourself worthy by bringing his body back to us. I know you'll try your hardest as a member of ThunderClan. Come."

"I can't!" Stonefur objected. "It's my fault he's dead! I should've been the one who died, not Graystripe! I promised to protect Featherpaw and Stormpaw. I failed as a mentor. How can I possibly serve you as a warrior of ThunderClan?"

"You are Bluestar's son." Firestar said simply. "And you are a fine warrior yourself. I remember Gray-" Firestar stopped, closing his eyes at the memory. A moment later, he opened them again, mewing, "Stonefur, some cats are lucky to get a second chance. You will have your second chance in ThunderClan and you will use it wisely."

"Thank you Firestar. I'll do the best that I can for myself and for ThunderClan. I just hope I can-" Stonefur broke off as a silver blur went flying past him, leaping into the current of the river. Stonefur opened his mouth to scream out to StarClan, "Featherpaw!" His eyes scanned the dark river. His heart was hammering against his chest in panic. He couldn't find her.

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**Please don't eat me. I know it's an evil cliffie. That's the point. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: I'm back, baby! Yeah, it's been awhile, I know. However, you gotta give me props, as this chapter is freakin' awesome! Props to Silent Memento, because he's a genius and uses logic. You'll find out why. Enjoy, review, you know the whole song and dance. **

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A silver head poked out of the water, carrying Graystripe by the scruff. Stonefur dove into the water, his adrenaline making him forget his fatigue, and took Graystripe's scruff away from Featherpaw. He dragged Graystripe out of the water, Featherpaw close behind hm.

Worriedly, Featherpaw stood over Graystripe as the cats suddenly began to press around him, trying to get him dry. "You saved me again, Silverstream." Graystripe murmured groggily. Stonefur's eyes darkened for a moment, and Featherpaw looked at him questioningly.

He wanted to say nothing. To him, her death was still fresh in his mind. The rage, the sorrow, and all the betrayal that came with learning about her death all surfaced, making the entire situation harder on him. "It's nothing." He told her softly. "Trust me." He was tempted to go on, to get rid of Featherpaw's annoyingly concerned glance.

Firestar interrupted, "Who here is the fastest runner? We need Cinderpelt, as soon as we can get her." Stonefur sighed in silent relief. The ginger tom had come, in a strange sense, to his rescue.

"Wouldn't it be easier to get Graystripe to Cinderpelt?" Longtail asked. "Think, Firestar. If we send someone to get Cinderpelt, we'll have to wait twice as long for her to come back." Longtail mewed, his pale tail swishing eagerly. "The strongest should pull him back to camp."

A thought crossed Stonefur's mind. With the temperature of the water, and Graystripe's current state, they had to move, and fast, if they wanted to get him to Cinderpelt. Featherpaw stumbled, and he made a move to catch her, but Fernpaw was already there, allowing Featherpaw to rest on her speckled shoulder.

"We should move now." Sandstorm mewed, seeing more ShadowClan warriors, and a few bedraggled RiverClan warriors appeared on the other side of the border. She waited for Firestar's order, but he was just staring at Graystripe. "The moon is rising, Firestar." Stonefur kneaded the ground in impatience. Every second Firestar stood there, was a second of Graystripe's life fading away. "Firestar!" Sandstorm mewed, louder and more impatient. Firestar's head jerked as if it were coming out of a dream.

"What?" He asked in a daze. Then, he seemed to snap back into reality. "Let's go. Longtail, grab Graystripe's scruff. Fernpaw, support Featherpaw. Sandstorm, keep the front of the patrol, Stonefur are you strong enough to hold the back?" Stonefur nodded stiffly.

The vagabond patrol that walked back to the camp was a slow moving one, and Stonefur began to fear for Graystripe's life. It was only when they arrived at the camp that Stonefur could breathe out a sigh of relief. Cinderpelt instantly took Graystripe into her den, while Stonefur, Featherpaw and Stormpaw were met with hostile glances.

"What are they doing here?" Dustpelt spat. "They're RiverClan scum." Stonefur bared his teeth at Dustpelt, before thinking better. They were at ThunderClan's mercy. Even if Firestar was leader, there would be some hostility from other ThunderClan cats. They had to get on everyone's good side.

"Let all cats who can catch their own prey, come beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Firestar's voice rang out. Cats began to come out of their dens, and Stonefur took a place at the back of the crowd. He felt awkward here, like he was intruding on something extremely private. Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw came out together, sitting near Featherpaw and Stormpaw. Featherpaw waved her tail in greeting, and Tawnypaw waved her tail to copy Featherpaw's gesture. "By now, you have seen Stonefur, Featherpaw and Stormpaw in our clan." Stonefur tried not to flinch as many pairs of eyes rested on him. "I have called you here to tell you why."

Stonefur wanted to turn and run, as Firestar recounted the tale he, Stormpaw and Featherpaw lived through. It made him want to just run until he could outrun the past, everything he had been through, and everything he had seen. Stormpaw looked angry, as if he couldn't stand remembering what had been done to him, and that the ThunderClan leader had to tell the story again, just to get sympathy for the rugged cats. "What ever doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Stonefur whispered softly to his apprentice, feeling almost the same way but trying his hardest not to let it show. "Remember that. We are standing here, a living symbol of hardship."

"We should send them back home. Who will feed them? We barely have enough food for our own clan." Mousefur mewed. Stonefur narrowed his eyes. After all that she had heard about what they had been through, she still wanted to send them home? Several cats spoke against this, for which Stonefur was very pleased. "We're always complaining how there's no prey! How long is it before a kit has to die because we have to feed these . . . RiverClan cats?" She finished, for lack of a nicer word.

"How long would it be before we died because you sent us back to RiverClan?" Stonefur hissed, leaping to his paws, but wobbling. "I don't think you heard Firestar properly. We were almost dead. We were never fed, and surely, we would've been killed by Tigerstar. He's turned Leopardstar against her own clanmates, Firestar is telling the wholehearted truth, as sickening as it is." Stonefur made sure everyone heard his words, "We can't go back. We are outcasts in our own clan."

"Mousefur has a fair point." Longtail mewed. "We are running low on prey, and there are many mouths to feed." Cats began to murmur in agreement with him, while others were challenging him. "Perhaps they could find another Clan to stay with?" Stonefur looked at the pale incredulously. Why would they go to another clan, when this clan, technically the birth clan for all three cats, was rejecting them?

"They have a right to ask us for shelter." Whitestorm's voice rose above the din. They fell silent at the deputy's words. "After all, does ThunderClan blood not run in their veins? Do we not see our clanmates Bluestar and Graystripe when we gaze upon them?" No cat moved. "They came to us in their darkest hour. Are we to turn them away, when it is so obvious they are kin to some of us?" Whitestorm's yellow gaze calmed as he looked at the ragged RiverClan cats, and Stonefur realized that he and Whitestorm were technically cousins of some sort, as he previously knew Bluestar and Whitestorm were related. "I think they should stay here, until it is safe for them to go home. There is no need to send them off just yet." Several nodded in agreement, though Stonefur was still getting hostile glares from warriors he had met in battle, in the past.

"Then it is settled." Firestar yowled. "Stonefur, Featherpaw and Stormpaw are to stay here until it is safe for them to go home. Now, there is one more thing I must do, before we are to rest for the night. Featherpaw, will you step forward, please?"

Featherpaw gave Stonefur a frightened look. "It's okay." He murmured to her. "Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise." She still looked unconvinced and Stonefur nosed her ear and whispered, "This is not TigerClan. This is ThunderClan. Your father belongs to this clan, and trusts Firestar. I trust Firestar." This seemed to give Featherpaw the courage she needed to step forward, in front of the large group.

"Featherpaw, you are without a mentor since Mistyfoot's death. So you must continue your training with the guidance of a ThunderClan warrior." Firestar began. Featherpaw nodded, waiting for the ginger tom to speak again. "Your mentor will be Sandstorm, who has not yet received an apprentice. Sandstorm, I hope you pass down your courage and skill to Featherpaw."

Sandstorm bounded forward and touched her nose to Featherpaw's, her green eyes wild with excitement. Featherpaw stood trembling nervously, before slinking into the back of the crowd beside Stonefur. He murmured a quick reassurance to her, "You did fine, Featherpaw."

"This meeting is at an end!" Firestar yowled, leaping off of the Highrock.

Stonefur wobbled into Cinderpelt's den, flopping himself down on the soft moss and closed his eyes, longing for sleep to overtake him. He could feel either one, or both apprentices curling up beside him. "Poor things," Cinderpelt murmured. He tried not to wince as she put marigold on his wounds. "Don't wince, Stonefur, it makes my job harder."

He opened his eyes and looked at the gray medicine cat. "Are they asleep?" He asked. She gazed at the two apprentices, whose flanks were already rising and falling steadily. She then nodded. "Good." He murmured. "They've been through so much. How's Graystripe?"

"Featherpaw was brave, going into the water to save him." Cinderpelt said. She took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "He'll pull through, he might have a cold afterward." Stonefur looked at her, confused. "He can't almost drown and not suffer from consequences. I just . . ." Her voice began to choke. "I just don't know what's going to happen to him."

Stonefur began to feel sorry for the medicine cat. She always seemed so strong to him, and now, she was crumbling away. He heard pawsteps enter the den, as he closed his eyes. "Cinderpelt?" It was Firestar's pawsteps. "How are they doing?"

"They've been through a lot, Firestar." Cinderpelt mewed softly. "I heard what you said, about letting them stay until they can go home. From what they've been through . . . Firestar, how do you know they'll want to go home?"

"When this is all over-" How could he speak with such certainty? "Leopardstar will have to answer for her actions." Stonefur heard Cinderpelt sigh. "What, Cinderpelt?" He heard Firestar ask impatiently.

"That doesn't answer my question." She responded. "Think about it Firestar, if you were in their shoes, would you want to go back?"He could sense Firestar's hesitation. "You wouldn't, would you?"

"But RiverClan is where they were born and raised. Surely, no matter what they felt; they would eventually want to go back, wouldn't they? Graystripe wanted to return to ThunderClan." Firestar protested.

"If your Twolegs had treated you cruelly, would you have wanted to return, after you had found a home filled with friends that would never dream of hurting you?" Cinderpelt asked. Firestar must've shook his head, for she continued, "This may end up being like that for them. After all, their clan leader killed Mistyfoot, because of Tigerstar's influence. There's also the chance . . . that their clan may never be safe again."

"Don't say that, Cinderpelt." Firestar growled. "Tigerstar will be defeated and the forest will be safe again." More quietly, he continued, "It has to be, otherwise, I've failed Bluestar." There was a slight scoff in his voice, as he added, "StarClan won't let it happen, would they?"

"StarClan's will is always a mystery, even to us, who spend all their lives, trying to interpret messages." Cinderpelt mewed tiredly. "We are never entirely sure of what they want from us; we can only assume that we doing things exactly the way they want it done."

Stonefur opened one eye, watching Firestar's face closely. This didn't seem like the face of a leader. This seemed like the face of a newly made warrior, worrying about proving that he was worthy of the Clan. "If I may, Firestar," Stonefur murmured, surprising both cats. However, a loud yowl interrupted their conversation.

"Webfoot!" Firestar yowled. The tom's fur was matted; he was bleeding from several open wounds. "What happened?" Firestar padded up the the dark tabby tom urgently. Warriors started to emerge from their dens, hearing the commotion.

"TigerClan!" The WindClan cat gasped. "They're attacking our camp! You have to help us, Firestar!"

"Of course. Whitestorm, stay here in case TigerClan comes here. Darkstripe, Brackenfur, Willowpelt, Longtail, Frostfur, Cloudtail, Fernpaw and Ashpaw, come with me!" Firestar yowled. Stonefur leapt onto his paws, waiting to join the battle, but Firestar shook his head sternly.

He could only watch with envy as the cats Firestar named joined him in the fray. The patrol of cats sped off from ThunderClan camp, leaving Stonefur feeling slightly depressed. A white she-cat, with ginger splotches was also staring dejectedly at the gorse tunnel. She lowered her head, and Stonefur noticed one ear was missing, as was one eye.

_This must be the cat Tigerstar mentioned at the last Gathering. _He thought. He padded over, making sure to come up on her good side, so he wouldn't scare her. "Hello," he greeted. She looked up in surprise. He was able to get the full extent of her injuries, and he was impressed. Yes, she had lost an eye and an ear, but her scars, they showed her power, her strength, all she had been through.

"Hello," she mewed awkwardly, noticing the scars lining his fur, his nicked ear, and his overall skinniness. "How are you still standing after all that you've been through?" She asked after a moment. "You carry yourself like . . . like you could rule the entire forest." He realized she wasn't talking about him.

"Our scars, no matter how severe they are, they show how strong we are. A constant reminder that we keep fighting, no matter how bad everything gets." He mewed to her. "Your scars," she flinched at those two words. "They make you a braver cat. They show that you weren't to give up. Not saying that your friend gave up, but your scars say that you kept fighting." He suddenly wasn't talking about her anymore, but both of them, and he mewed, "The scars on your heart say that you fought back, even when it seemed like the entire world was against you." Her eyes lit up at this shared connection.

"That means a lot to me," she mewed. "I mean, Cloudtail tells me all the time that I'm still beautiful to him, but no cat, not since the incident with the dog pack, has told me that I'm strong." She looked at her paws. "How can I be strong, when I can't even defend myself?"

"Fight for the others around you," Stonefur answered. "That's what I did. When we were in the hole, and death seemed imminent, I hardly cared about myself anymore. I fought for Mistyfoot, Featherpaw and Stormpaw. Mistyfoot didn't fight for herself, but to keep the rest of us safe. I have a pretty good feeling that with the right techniques, you'd be able to safe a lot of lives."

"Do you have any ideas?" She asked him. He shook his head, and her expression seemed to drop a little. "Well, thanks anyway," she mewed. "It's so hard to get through clan life, day to day, because I can't do anything for myself anymore. And it's not like I'm an elder, who has done their service for the clan. I'm still young. I wish an answer for what I could do for the rest of my life would show up, like it did for my sister." She sighed.

Before Stonefur could even open his mouth to reply, Cinderpelt cut him off, "Stonefur, how in the name of StarClan are you supposed to get better if you don't lie down and rest!" She limped over to them, a playful and serious scowl on her face. "To my den, now." Stonefur obediently nodded.

"Thank you . . . I'm sorry, I don't quite remember your name." Stonefur mewed awkwardly, as Cinderpelt practically shepherded him away from the white and ginger she-cat.

"It's Brightheart," she called back, and they both smiled. Renewed energy seemed to be within her, and he himself felt refreshed, as if he had gone for a swim in the river. He thought of another thing that was similar between them. They both needed to feel wanted by others.

"Thank you," Cinderpelt murmured, once they had reached the den. Stonefur tilted his head in confusion. "For talking to her. It's not enough for Cloudtail and the elders just to be talking to her. I think you really uplifted her spirits. Not because you talked to her, but you addressed her scars, while everyone else avoided them all together."

Stonefur gave Cinderpelt a quick lick on the ear. "She wasn't the only one who needed her spirits uplifted. And there are scars we must learn to deal with, even when we don't want to deal with them." Stonefur mewed, flopping down on the nest moss again, a short distance from the apprentices, who had unconsciously huddled together in his absence.

Drops of icy rain began to fall outside the den. Stonefur's heart was in anguish, as he realized his sister's body was alone, cold in that now abandoned clearing by the Bonehill. He closed his eyes, wishing he could curl up next to his sister, just like Stormpaw and Featherpaw had the luxury of doing so. Those thoughts were disrupted as the sound of cats rushing through the gorse tunnel reached his ears, and Stonefur wondered in partial amusement if we was going to get any rest any time soon.

He knew he wouldn't as Firestar's voice rang out with three chilling words, "Tallstar is dead."

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**Told you I'd screw around with the New Prophecy plotline. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I can't remember the last time I updated, but it couldn't have been that long ago. Or maybe it has. I don't remember. I kind of don't care. Enjoy.**

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"WindClan was attacked by TigerClan! Most of the Clan is wounded, and there are several dead," Firestar yowled, his claws sinking in to the Highrock. His green eyes blazed furiously, and he seemed to be gazing out at something no one else could see. Was Firestar already losing his nerve? Could the threat of Tigerstar potentially be too overwhelming? Cats murmured uneasily to one another. Stonefur closed his eyes, his tail curled over his paws.

Images of the Bonehill flashed behind his eyes. "You know what will happen to WindClan," Tigerstar had told Leopardstar. With dread, Stonefur's eyes opened slowly, and he stared up over at Firestar. "Don't let it happen to your Clan," Tigerstar had growled. Stonefur nearly gasped with the realization, and his eyes flew open. Leopardstar had done the right thing, in a weird way. She had saved her Clan.

"Tigerstar has given us five extra days to decide if we want to join TigerClan or not," Firestar mewed. The words seemed to echo across the now, silent camp. He hesitated before asking, "ThunderClan? What do you think?" Stonefur started at the ginger tom, trying to keep his jaw closed. Join TigerClan? It was bad enough that Leopardstar did.

Yowls of protest rose up amongst the Clan. "You can't be serious, Firestar," Cloudtail had leapt to his paws. "Join TigerClan? Didn't you just get through telling us how they murdered Mistyfoot? Have you forgotten that Tigerstar sent the pack of dogs on us, and killed Swiftpaw? Killed _Brindleface_? And Bluestar?"

It never really registered to him, that Bluestar was his mother. At least, until that very moment. Perhaps it was Graypool's lifelong struggle to hold on to the secret, to protect the cats she had come to love as her kits, which never led to this epiphany. Or perhaps, Stonefur was not quite ready to accept Bluestar as his mother. Either way, he brushed the thought of and called out, "Firestar, you can't be serious. Join TigerClan? You should've left me to die."

"Somebody's not afraid to speak their mind," Dustpelt snorted. Fernpaw rested her tail on his shoulder. He brushed it off, rolled his eyes, and muttered something to her, casting a mutinous glance back at Stonefur.

"Let me finish," Stonefur hissed. "Firestar, think about all that Tigerstar has taken from the forest, from this Clan. He's going to continuously take from everyone. He has to be stopped." Growling, he added, "He killed my sister. He killed my mother, as well." He was referring to Graypool, not Bluestar. No one would get it but him, and in a way, that was better. If they all thought he was referring to Bluestar, then potentially, it would be easier to adjust to life in ThunderClan.

"For Bluestar!" Cloudtail yowled, still on his paws. Cats began to stand up in support of their leader. Stonefur watched Firestar's eyes glow with warmth. He watched as Firestar's eyes pass over each and every one of ThunderClan.

"For Swiftpaw!" Brightheart's voice joined his and she rose to her paws as well. Goldenflower, a grief-stricken expression on her face, stood up and looked back at Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw, who both sat.

"For Brindleface," Fernpaw's quiet voice joined them. She and Ashpaw stood up. The two warriors nodded at them. Cats were beginning to show their support by standing up, yowling out loud. He had never seen a more enthusiastic, for lack of a better word, Clan.

"For Mistyfoot," Featherpaw's voice floated on the breeze, barely audible above the crowd. He jumped in surprise. He hadn't noticed Featherpaw beside him. Gratitude flooded through Stonefur, and she looked up at him. "Couldn't sleep," she mewed, whilst shrugging.

"For Graypool," he whispered. Stonefur looked back up to Firestar. He could barely see the ginger tom over the many cats that were now standing, some even on their hind paws. _This is ridiculous, _he thought, but could not help but admire their spirit.

"So, it's decided then," Firestar's voice rang out. "ThunderClan will never join Tigerstar!" The Clan yowled its approval. Tails were lashing left and right. For whatever reason, Stonefur could not feel their excitement. A cold dread settled in his paws, and he remained stock-still.

"Why not?" It only meant to be a tiny whisper, barely heard above the noise. He looked over at Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw. Bramblepaw was talking in a low voice to Tawnypaw. "If we all became TigerClan, then we wouldn't have to worry about losing lives. We don't have to worry about being threatened by TigerClan, and there wouldn't have to be a fight. He wouldn't treat us poorly, we all used to be his clanmates."

"He might treat you two specially, I mean you are his kin," Featherpaw was saying to her friends. A rush of pride and affection filled him as Featherpaw continued, "But that doesn't mean he'd treat us the same. You heard what happened to us." Bramblepaw looked at his paws, and Tawnypaw looked away. The two siblings walked away without another word. Featherpaw looked up at Stonefur, her blue eyes filled with sadness. "Did I do something wrong?"

Stonefur shook his head. "Try to imagine if this were Graystripe instead of Tigerstar. How would you feel?" he told her. For a moment, he tried to imagine that it was Oakheart behind all this. _Oakheart wouldn't be dead if he were able to do this. He would've succeeded Crookedstar. He wouldn't have joined Tigerstar._

"I'd feel kind of torn," Featherpaw mewed after a moment, startling him. "He's my father, and I'd feel like I'd have to join him, or I'd try to make it seem like he was right, even though I knew what he was doing was wrong . . ." she trailed off, looking up at him. "Does that make me bad?"

"_What_?" Stonefur asked incredulously. Featherpaw shrunk a little bit. He butted his head against her shoulder. "Of all the mouse-brained questions, why ask that one?" he purred. She met his gaze seriously, and he tried to ignore the pang of grief that surged through him. She looked so much like Silverstream. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the thoughts of the silver-tabby that he had lost.

"I'm serious. Does it make me bad that I would want to join Graystripe if it were him in this situation?" Featherpaw mewed, giving him an obstinate look, reminiscent of her mentor. He smiled at her before carefully delivering his answer.

"Bad and good are just words," he told her. "It's all about perception. There are cats who may perceive you to be bad, even when you think you're doing good. There will never be a true sense of good and bad established. Not in my lifetime, not in your lifetime, not in any lifetime." For some reason, he was aware of the stars shining overhead.

_Do more ThunderClan warriors watch over their old territory compared to the rest of the forest? Or are they forced to abandon their prejudices when they join StarClan?_ As he stared up at the twinkling stars, the enormity of his losses began to overwhelm him. He wondered if they were still watching him, or since joining StarClan, if they abandoned their prejudices. He sighed, unable to contend with the endless flow of questions that preoccupied him. He hadn't noticed Featherpaw returning to the medicine cat den, until he felt Stormpaw's pelt brush up beside him.

"Stonefur?" the young gray tom mewed.

"Yeah?" Stonefur looked down at his apprentice. He was unsurprised to find how much Stormpaw looked like a very young Graystripe. He remembered seeing Firestar and Graystripe at their first Gathering many, many seasons ago. And who was he to know that he had met the future leader of ThunderClan?

"What was my mother like?" he asked quietly. Stormpaw looked at his paws for a moment before mewing. "When I go to StarClan, I want to be able to point her out the moment I get there. I want to make sure I know who she is, and that she really wants me there with her."

Stonefur looked up into the stars, trying to decide if he could see her there. After a moment he mewed, "She was a lot like Featherpaw. She was kind, and sweet. Sometimes, if you got her mad enough, you could get the sharp side of her tongue, and her tongue was sharp. Still, she was brave, beautiful, and strong." His voice hitched, and he couldn't say anymore.

Stormpaw's gaze was determinedly fixed on the ground. "I close my eyes, and try to remember her sometimes," he mewed, his voice husky. "And I can't remember anything about her. Not even a whiff of her scent. And I see a figure, but that figure has no face. There's no warmth when I think about her. Just . . . nothing." Stormpaw sank his claws into the dirt.

Stonefur wondered, very guiltily, if not knowing your mother was better than knowing she gave you up, in order to protect her Clan. He closed his eyes, reflecting on his mother's legacy, and feeling proud of her. And there was a very small rush of affection. He was not quite ready to love Bluestar as a mother, but he was willing to be proud of her achievements. "I think you'll know who she is when you see her," he mewed after a moment.

Stormpaw looked around to make sure no one was listening to him. "When we crossed into ThunderClan territory, I looked over at Sunningrocks," he confided to his mentor. "And I saw Mistyfoot. Well, not really her . . . her spirit, or whatever. And there was a silver she-cat with her. I felt like I should've known who she was. But I didn't. So I thought maybe she was my mother. I guess that's just ridiculous."

Stonefur wanted to say something to comfort his apprentice, but he couldn't. He had missed a chance on seeing Silverstream. Granted, he saw her every day, in Featherpaw, but he still missed her. "That sounds like something she would do," he muttered quietly.

"Stonefur?" Stormpaw asked, after a moment's pause. "Did you love her? My mother?"

Guilt struck him through him. He was unsure as to why he felt guilty about his love for Silverstream. Maybe it wasn't real guilt, and more along the lines of shame. He was unsure. "More than I should have," Stonefur muttered, finally answering, sheathing and unsheathing his claws.

"Hmmm?" Stormpaw, who had not heard him, asked. His amber eyes tried to search Stonefur's blue ones, but Stonefur had become a master of deception over the moons. It was necessary. After all, one death couldn't tear him apart completely.

"It's . . . uhh . . . complicated type of love. One day, when you're older, I'll explain it to you," Stonefur mewed. "Now, go get some rest." Stormpaw head butted his mentor's shoulder before walking away. Stonefur followed him into the den, closed his eyes and began drifting into a deep slumber.

In the apprentice's den, however, Tawnypaw could not sleep. Her mind was too full of questions she could not ask, let alone have answered. Her brother had mentioned, leaving the Clan, and perhaps joining their father, which she did wanted to do. She hated ThunderClan, and they hated her right back. Well, in a way, that was a lie. She didn't hate everyone. Mostly everyone, except for Bramblepaw, Goldenflower, and she was starting to take a liking to Featherpaw and Stormpaw. Since they were RiverClan cats, she figured the last two didn't really count.

"What's stopping you from leaving?" Ashpaw's mew sounded from the back of the den. Tawnypaw looked behind her, and Ashpaw padded up beside her, so they could look up at the stars. "Everyone knows you don't feel welcome here . . . not that I want you to leave," Ashpaw added hastily.

"You sure make it seem like you do," Tawnypaw growled, trying to find one particular star she could watch, just so that she didn't have to look at the gray furball beside her.

"That's not what I meant!" Ashpaw exclaimed. "There are cats in the Clan who like you a lot, and when we become warriors, you'll show all of them.

"Yeah, right," Tawnypaw scoffed. "No one has faith in us. Except for Goldenflower, and maybe Brackenfur. But Firestar doesn't trust us. He thinks we're going to turn into our father! Especially Bramblepaw."

"I trust you," Ashpaw mewed, giving his denmate a swift, yet slightly awkward, lick on the ear. "I don't care that your father is Tigerstar."

"You don't even know who your father is, mouse-brain," Tawnypaw nudged him affectionately. She smiled at Ashpaw, "Thanks, though. I guess I'm being lost and insecure. After all, you found me lying on the floor of the den, staring up into StarClan. Where were you during the meeting?" She felt her fur flush when the tip of his tail touched hers.

"You have no reason to be insecure, Tawnypaw," he told her. He thought she had no reason to feel poorly about herself. Not when she was smart, brave, and courageous. When she gave him a look, he added earnestly, "Except for the whole, Tigerstar is your father thing."

"Oh yeah, cuz that's no big deal at all," she mewed sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at Ashpaw. "Tigerstar, considered to be one of the most evil cats in the forest, is just my father, and Bramblepaw and I just happen to take after him."

"That's all behind you now! You don't have anything to be ashamed of! Beneath the pelt, and the eye color, do you know what I saw?" Ashpaw prodded her, his blue eyes filled with warmth and sympathy.

"It's not behind me; it never will be, but what?" Tawnypaw asked. She was more preoccupied with the notion of leaving ThunderClan behind her for good. Or worse, the notion that Bramblepaw would leave ThunderClan without her.

"A she-cat I respected," he smiled at her. She looked at him, completely confused. "I still do. Lift up your head, and look at the stars. They're still shining down on your, aren't they? I know things seem bad right now, but they'll get better, you'll see. You don't need to pretend for the entire Clan, and once they see you for who you are, they'll appreciate you. I do. I'm here to provide you with sweet understanding, I'm your friend."

"Nobody ever treated me kindly," she mewed, looking at him, trying to hide the shame she felt. "My father is a traitor; Goldenflower doesn't feel the prejudices we do. And in a way, we're still naïve kits. Darkstripe offered to take us some place, and we said sure, even though we knew the Clan was in danger." She took a moment to pause, "Suddenly, Ashpaw, you're here beside me. You don't give me orders, you don't condescend. Suddenly you're here to provide me with understanding . . . you're my friend." There was a strange clarity to her words. How many cats could she actually call friend?

"Tell me this feeling lasts 'till forever," Ashpaw mewed with a contented sigh, a faraway look entering his eyes. "Tell me the bad times are clean washed away."

"They're not quite out of the way yet," she mewed. "But please understand that it's still strange and frightening. For all that its worth, it's so hard to say, suddenly you're standing beside me. You purified me."

"I wouldn't say that," Ashpaw mewed, tilting his head in confusion."But for all intents and purposes, we can say I purified you." There was a smirk that played on his maw. Tawnypaw resisted rolling her eyes for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night.

"Idiot. If you can look past my heritage, that means other cats can too! Therefore, you purified me. Thanks for ruining the moment," Tawnypaw mewed, cuffing his ear with a sheathed paw. Her green eyes sparkled, with something he couldn't quite place.

"It's not ruined quite yet," Ashpaw mewed, in mock offence. The moon crept into the den, turning everything to silver. His fur flushed as he looked at Tawnypaw. She looked purified, and beautiful. Admittedly, he was a bit young for love, but he couldn't help but wanting to get just a bit closer to her in that moment.

"Doesn't matter now. Thanks for showing me that I can learn how to be more," Tawnypaw mewed, looking back at him.

"It's not really learning how to be more. I mean, well, it is, I . . . I don't know what I'm saying." Ashpaw mewed, looking around. His fur was flushing to the point where he couldn't stand it anymore. "It's learning how to be more than for what other cats see you. There, I found my words," he mewed.

Tawnypaw rolled her eyes. "That only took forever," she mewed sarcastically. "I was starting to wonder if we'd see dawn before you finally figured out what you were going to say." She paused for a moment. "Thanks for being my friend."

They both purred, and met each other's glances before looking away quickly. Slowly, they met each other's glances again. Tawnypaw pressed her muzzle against Ashpaw's. "Thank you," she murmured.

He tried not to beam, though he felt like he could radiate with happiness. "No problem. Now, stop being so mouse-brained," he mewed, getting to his paws. She got to her paws too, simply to knock him over. "Hey!" he cried out. She got off of him, and walked past him, purring. In the corner of the den, they curled up side by side.

"I don't believe it . . ." Bramblepaw whispered, watching his sister and Ashpaw. He had been awake the entire time.

"You owe me a mouse, Bramblepaw," whispered Fernpaw, opening one eye.

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**What musical did I allude to in this chapter? If you know the musical, it will be very obvious. First to get it gets a prize. Annonymous users have to either get an account or provide me with an e-mail so I can give out spoilers. **

**3.24.09 EDIT- I just realized I made a reference to a song that's extremely popular in another part of the chapter (it's actually around the same part as the musical, and that is your only hint). If you can find it, I'll write a one-shot (on whatever you want) for you. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You turn on your computer. You get on the internet and check your e-mail. You see that-my word! It's an e-mail from Fanfiction! You open it up, completely befuddled, especially because it says "[FF New Chapter] Ch. 5 of story, Win One for the Reaper by .Lost-Blue-Phantom.". And you think to yourself, "Naahhh. It can't be, because she died/gave up/fell off the face of the planet!"**

**But it is. Now, I'm probably not gonna update much after that. Sooo...enjoy? :D**

**Disclaimer: Warriors is not owned by me. I, however, have come up with several crack pairings from this story _alone_. **

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Across the camp, Stonefur watched Tawnypaw interact with Ashpaw. It reminded him of the time he first learned that Mistyfoot and Blackclaw were in love. He had hated Blackclaw at the time, and still had an intense dislike for the dark warrior. It didn't matter now, Stonefur realized, and a guilty knot settled in his stomach, that Blackclaw loved Mistyfoot as much as he did, albeit in different ways. Stonefur wondered how his sister's former mate was coping. He wondered how their kits were coping.

Watching Bramblepaw's astounded reaction, it reminded him of the time he had told Mistyfoot that he was in love with Silverstream. Quickly, he looked over at Featherpaw, and felt guilty. Every time he looked at both of them, especially Featherpaw, his grief for her resurfaced along with his anger at Graystripe. There was no reason to blame them for what happened, including Graystripe. There was no reason to hold on to the things he could not change.

Each moment of Silverstream's last two months burned in his mind. Every agonizing moment of the cover story he had helped her create. No. She had created it on her own, and he was nothing more than a pawn to ensure her safety within the Clans suspected. No one would've ever suspected how utterly broken his heart was. He doubted that Graystripe even knew what his beloved Silverstream had done.

"_Silverstream!" his voice rang out sharply, as the silver she-cat tried to sneak back into camp. He had been waiting up all night for her. Mistyfoot had commented to him that she hadn't come to visit the new kits. It wasn't like Silverstream, he rationalized, and so he waited to make sure she was all right. _

_She looked at him calmly with the blue eyes he loved so much. "Yes?" she asked him in her sweetest voice. She knew how easily he could fall under her spell. He sniffed her warily. She smelled like ThunderClan, and something else. He let the realization show on his face, and she looked slightly embarrassed. He took a step backward, hurt and confused. _

"_Why?" he asked, the word snagging in his throat. He unsheathed his claws, ready to tear apart the cat that had done this to her. "How could you do this our Clan?" he snarled at her. "To your father?" Quietly, and sadly, he added, "To me?"_

_She looked distressed. "Stonefur, I needed to pretend that I loved you. It was for the good of the plan," she murmured, trying to assuage him. It wasn't working, as Stonefur growled at her, the fur on his neck prickling. "I didn't want them to find out about Graystripe and I. Please don't tell anyone," she pleaded._

"_Give me one good reason," he growled. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell your father. Give me one good reason why I should protect your secret?"His head was reeling. Silverstream had never loved him. He would've gladly drowned himself in the river for her, and she had just played on his emotions. He felt like a fool._

"_I'm going to have kits," she whispered, her eyes wide and scared. For the first time that night, he felt a tiny pinch of pity for her. "Stonefur, I'll be banished from the Clan if anyone finds out," she mewed, her voice rising with panic. Realizing that someone could hear her, she quickly looked around. "I need to be able to stay in the Clan and raise these kits. Will you . . . will you pretend they're yours?" she pleaded. "The Clan will be so much happier to know that these kits have a father, as will I. And they won't know any different. Please?"_

_He sighed. "All right," he growled. She tried to nuzzle up against him, but he turned away, trying to contend with his broken heart. She trotted up beside him, to try and get his attention. "What do you want now?" he growled at her, and she recoiled with fear._

"_I'm sorry," she murmured quietly. She began rasping her tongue over his ear, and for a moment, he was pulled into the lulling sensation that it brought. He wished they could stay together forever. And then his anger resurfaced._

"_No!" he yowled, pushing away from her. When she gave him a confused look, he added, yowling loudly enough for everyone to hear, "How could you not understand? I love you!"He was completely and utterly frustrated with Silverstream's manipulation of him and the rest of her clanmates. Mistyfoot's head poked out of the nursery, looking curiously at the pair of them._

"_Which is why I'm not afraid to tell the Clan about our kits," Silverstream murmured, resting her tail on his shoulder. Mistyfoot let out a little trill of excitement and bounded over to Silverstream, nuzzling her best friend._

"_That's wonderful!" Mistyfoot purred. Looking at Stonefur, she tilted her head to one side, trying to discern her brother's expression. "Stonefur, you must be so proud!" she mewed delightedly. "I didn't even know you two were mates! Stonefur, why didn't you say anything?" _

"_He wanted to keep it a secret," Silverstream interfered quickly, silencing any doubt Mistyfoot may have. "He was afraid you'd be angry with him. Isn't that right, dear?"She gave him a hard stare, and he nodded stiffly._

_Two moons later, he had caught her sneaking out to visit Graystripe. She didn't look embarrassed in the least. Perhaps it was because she knew Stonefur would keep her out of trouble in exchange for small tokens of affection. "Go," Stonefur snarled before she could say a word. "I don't care what happens to you. I hope you get torn to shreds by Tigerclaw for trespassing on their territory." She gave him a wounded look, and he added venomously, "I hope they kill Graystripe when they find out about you both."_

_She stood at the mouth of the entrance, giving Stonefur a very saddened look. For a moment, it looked like her fur was covered in a starry sheen. The image startled him slightly, but his gaze upon her did not change. "I'm sorry," she whispered. He shook his head. She wasn't sorry, and they both knew it. Silverstream darted off toward ThunderClan territory without another word. _

_And then she died_, he thought sadly, coming out of his reverie. He missed her every time he looked at Featherpaw. Sighing, he looked back up at the moon. It was reassuring slightly, and he went back into the den. Looking once more at Featherpaw and Stormpaw, he laid his head on his paws and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he heard rustling, which jolted him out of his sleep. He leapt to his paws, immediately crouching in a defensive position. His eyes darted from side to side, looking for some sign of Jaggedtooth or Blackfoot. It was only when he smelled all of ThunderClan around him that he reminded himself that he was safe. "Tawnypaw!" Stonefur heard Bramblepaw hiss. "Be quiet or we're gonna get caught!" Stonefur slipped out of the medicine cat's den. He wasn't sure where the two young cats were going, but after seeing Tawnypaw with Ashpaw the previous night, he had an idea.

"Where are you two going?" Ashpaw had already beaten him to it. Stonefur slipped into the shadows, waiting to interfere if he needed to. The gray tom looked sadly at Tawnypaw, "You're not _leaving_, are you?" When she looked at her paws, Stonefur saw the anguish in the young tom's eyes when he looked at Tawnypaw. The scene was all too familiar.

"We have to," the young she-cat said quietly. Her brother looked panicked at the delay, as if he were waiting for a warrior to pop out of the shadows. The sun hadn't even touched over the treetops yet. It was smart, Stonefur realized. The two apprentices had waited until after the dawn patrol left, but still early enough that no one else would be awake yet.

"Why?" Ashpaw mewed brokenly. Stonefur could barely repress his pity. The young tom's anguished voice seemed to echo in his ears, which took him seasons and seasons past. "You don't have to go!" Ashpaw pleaded to the young tortieshell. Tawnypaw bolted past her brother and Ashpaw, sprinting until she was out of the gorse tunnel.

"You wouldn't understand," Bramblepaw growled, beginning to turn. With a ferocious yowl, Ashpaw pinned down Bramblepaw, claws unsheathed. Stonefur jolted up, preparing to move out of the shadows. Bramblepaw, despite his young age, fought back with intense vigor, but Ashpaw, with his experience, had the upper hand.

"Make me understand," Ashpaw growled in Bramblepaw's face. Bramblepaw's expression remained carefully apathetic. Ashpaw's grip on Brambleclaw slackened. In a flash, Bramblepaw had used his hindlegs to flip Ashpaw over, so that the gray tom was now pinned to the earth. "Let me go! Or I'll yowl for Firestar!" Ashpaw growled, writhing in Bramblepaw's strong grip. Stonefur shuddered, seeing Bramblepaw act so much like his father.

"We're not wanted here," Bramblepaw said sadly, a momentary lapse of his apathy gave way. "We're better off being in ShadowClan, where at least our father wants us." Ashpaw opened his mouth to object, but Bramblepaw cut across him, "When cats start dying, I-." His voice hitched, and he turned his head away from Ashpaw. "I can't be there for that," Bramblepaw whispered. Without another word, Bramblepaw darted into the gorse tunnel after his sister.

Ashpaw stared after the siblings with sad eyes. With a sigh, he began to head toward the den, until he ran into Brackenfur. "Is Tawnypaw awake yet?" the golden tom asked genially. Ashpaw stood silently as Brackenfur called for his apprentice, "Tawnypaw?"

Ashpaw began to stretch nonchalantly. "Maybe they went on an early morning hunt?" he offered innocently. Brackenfur turned to him, a look of thoughtful contemplation on his features. "I-I-I only say them because Bramblepaw isn't in there either!" Brackenfur nodded his agreement, and Ashpaw added a careless afterthought, "Check if you don't believe me!"

Firestar trotted over, hearing the start of a commotion. "What's going on?" he asked good- naturedly. Stonefur tried not to roll his eyes at the ginger tom. There was something about the ginger tom that made Stonefur question Bluestar's judgment.

"Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw aren't in the apprentice's den," Brackenfur mewed. "I don't know where they could've gone. And it's going to rain fairly soon." Stonefur looked up at the dark clouds that were beginning to form. They came on quickly, and the air became thick and hot.

"They can always take shelter at Sunningrocks, if they get caught in the storm," Firestar said calmly. "They're smart cats, both of them. If they're not back when the storm is over, we'll go look for them." Brackenfur nodded slowly, and Ashpaw looked extremely relieved.

"Have you forgotten that Tigerstar is out there?" Stonefur mewed, coming out of the shadows, visibly starting both Firestar and Brackenfur. "Didn't he try to take them at the last few Gatherings?" he mewed, looking directly at the ginger tom. "I wouldn't put it past him to try and take them away while they're alone. You should go, and now."

"Right. Brackenfur, find Sandstorm, Goldenflower and Cloudtail. We have to move quickly," Firestar mewed to Brackenfur, who sped off. Momentarily, Stonefur was lost in the authority of the ginger tom's voice. Perhaps he had been wrong, and was a good choice for the Clan. "I hadn't even thought of that," Firestar admitted in a low voice. "Thank you."

Stonefur did not react, as Brackenfur returned with the small patrol, and they set off. Ashpaw watched them leave the gorse tunnel before turning to Stonefur. "You saw what happened earlier." It was not a question or an accusation. Just a blank statement of the truth. Blank and apathetic, like the look in Bramblepaw's eyes.

"Yes," Stonefur answered quietly. "Yes, I did." He waited for the young cat to spit out some form of hateful accusation. After all, he had let Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw slip away without any form of interference. However, the young cat's expression did not change.

"You let them go," Ashpaw murmured quietly. Stonefur nodded. Ashpaw sat for a moment, quietly processing all that had just happened. Finally, he looked up at Stonefur, his eyes showing not hurt or anger, but confusion. "Why?"

"The same reason you didn't tell Firestar that they were leaving the Clan for good," Stonefur mewed simply. This did not ease Ashpaw's confusion. In fact, the young tom looked even more confused. _He's not even sure why he did it. _"Because they needed to tell Firestar themselves about why they were leaving. If I told Firestar that they were leaving, panic would've clouded his judgment. He wouldn't have heard out their reasons, and forced them to come back. They would've been unhappy, knowing they had no choice in the matter." Stonefur waited a moment before asking gently, "Does that make sense, Ashpaw?"

"I think so," Ashpaw said slowly. "So…we're happier choosing our own paths?" Stonefur nodded. Ashpaw looked at his paws before muttering, his voice constricted, "I don't want them to leave. Tawnypaw is my best friend." Breaking off awkwardly, he looked at Stonefur. "Sorry, I don't think you'd understand. You're old."

Stonefur had to retain his laughter. _Oh, the youth, _he thought good-naturedly. Images of Silverstream and Mistyfoot flashed through his mind, and his joviality vanished. "Yes, I am old," Stonefur whispered, more to himself than Ashpaw. "But that doesn't mean I haven't lost my fair share of friends." Shaking his head, he looked at Ashpaw, and said calmly, "Such is the nature of the forest, constantly living and breathing and moving. We have to accept the things we can't change."

Ashpaw let out a little snort of skepticism. Dustpelt gave Stonefur a look of disdain, before ushering his apprentice outside for training. Cats were beginning to fortify the walls of the camp. Stonefur moved to help them, but staggered. Mousefur trotted over to him and used her shoulder to help support him. "Thank you," he muttered, not meeting her eyes.

"You should get your rest," Mousefur mewed sympathetically. "Cinderpelt's going to claw your ears off if you don't get any rest." Stonefur shook his head and tried to stagger forward, only to fall down again. Mousefur nudged him to his feet again. "I know you want to help, but you're no good to us exhausted."

"Stonefur!" Cinderpelt's voice whipped across the camp. Mousefur let out a purr of amusement. Cinderpelt hobbled over to Stonefur and cuffed him over the ear. "You're not getting better if you keep pushing your limits. You need to come back and rest."

"I can't rest," Stonefur muttered through gritted teeth. He had spent so much time being cramped up in that hole, that he needed to move around the camp. He had to do something proactive. But, he also realized he couldn't do any of that if he was completely wiped out. "All right, Cinderpelt," he mewed with a sigh. "You win."

He walked back to the den. Stormpaw and Featherpaw were still sleeping. Smilling, he curled up next to them, and closed his eyes. Cinderpelt's methodic movement around the den lulled him to sleep.

Featherpaw woke up and nudged her brother awake. "Stormpaw," she hissed frantically. Stormpaw mumbled in his sleep, but did not wake. She trotted outside, her limbs and fur appreciating the warm sunlight and fresh breeze on her fur made her smile with delight.

She saw her father talking to a big, white tom, and a golden brown tabby tom. Graystripe beckoned her over with his tail. Heisitantly, she padded over to her father. "This is Whitestorm," he beckoned to the white tom. "And this is Thornclaw." He jerked his head in the direction of the golden brown tabby tom.

"Hi," Featherpaw mewed quietly, shuffling her paws. She was intimidated by these ThunderClan warriors. "Nice to meet you." Thornclaw flashed friendly grin, and she gave him a small smile in return.

"How are you feeling today?" Thornclaw asked, as Graystripe opened his mouth to ask her the same question. Featherpaw crouched and sprung at her father, a game she had loved from kithood. Graystripe was caught completely off-guard, but gently tussled with her nonetheless. She felt so much better in the ThunderClan environment, as if this was where she truly belonged.

"I feel great!" Featherpaw mewed, after she successfully squirmed out of her father's grasp. He gave her an affectionate lick on the ear, and she head butted his shoulder. Bashfully, she added, "A little hungry, though." Before she could say another word, Thornclaw ran toward the fresh kill pile, and picked the fattest vole off of the pile and brought it back to her. "Thank you," she mewed shyly.

"It may not be what you're used to," Thornclaw began as she sniffed it hesitantly. Whitestorm purred in amusement and Thornclaw looked at his paws in embarrassment. Featherpaw took a bite of the vole. It taste like grass and dirt, and at first, she screwed up her nose in distaste. As she took another bite, she found herself being accustomed to the taste.

"It's not bad," she mewed finally, much to the amusement of the three toms. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" she asked, once her vole had been devoured. All three toms looked at each other uneasily. "I feel stronger than I did yesterday, and I want to help. I'm tired of doing nothing."

"Well," Whitestorm mewed thoughtfully. "You don't know the territory very well yet. I'll take you, Thornclaw and Graystripe on patrol. How does that sound?" Graystripe flashed him a worried look and he added, "If you get too tired, Featherpaw, Graystripe can bring you back. Does that sound all right to you?"

It was smart, Featherpaw realized. He was offering her a chance to go out and do something, while considering the distinct possibility that Featherpaw's strength would fail out. She nodded eagerly, her tail lashing from side to side. "Let's go!" she mewed.

The patrol went off, eventually gaining Longtail and Fernpaw in case Graystripe and Featherpaw had to go back to camp. Whitestorm moved out front, and Longtail hung out in the back, leaving Fernpaw and Featherpaw to talk.

At first, the unfamiliar territory unnerved Featherpaw, and she stayed close to the patrol. Upon hearing the lapping sounds of the river, her heart began to pound with anticipation. She mewed hesitantly to Fernpaw, "Is it safe for me to be here?"

"Don't worry!" the speckled gray she-cat mewed cheerfully. "You're a part of ThunderClan now; we're not going to let anything happen to you. Besides, we can't go near the ShadowClan border. There's already a patrol over there."

Featherpaw's confusion showed, for Fernpaw began to delve into the story of Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw's departure, as she had heard it from Ashpaw. A chasm of sympathy opened up within her. _Being persecuted in the Clan that raised you? I know what that feels like. _She momentarily reflected on how seamlessly she had fit into ThunderClan, and how much easier running through the woods seemed than being back on the land where RiverClan's camp had been.

"They might be happier there…with their father's Clan," Featherpaw murmured thoughtfully more to herself than anyone else. Fernpaw tilted her head to one side and Featherpaw responded, "Well, I am. Maybe they will be happier there, where cats are more likely to tolerate them for who they are."

Fernpaw opened her mouth to respond, but instead let out a fierce growl. Featherpaw looked ahead, and knew that her coming on this patrol had been a bad idea. A group of TigerClan cats was sitting calmly at Sunningrocks. Blackfoot stepped forward. "Ah, Whitestorm," he called to the ThunderClan patrol. "Just the cat I wanted to see."

Whitestorm calmly stood his ground. The ThunderClan patrol moved in tighter. Thornclaw stepped protectively in front of Fernpaw and Featherpaw. "And why would that be?" Whitestorm asked calmly, signaling his fellow Clanmates to stop moving. "I've heard stories of what you've done, Blackfoot. So I believe we don't have much to say one another."

"Ah," Blackfoot said, noticing Featherpaw among their ranks. "So you have. But I was hoping we could talk, deputy to deputy. So that may show your leader the light of reason." The ThunderClan cats looked at each other uneasily, but Whitestorm kept calm. "Whitestorm, you are a reasonable cat, and you must know that resistance against TigerClan will result in many, unwanted deaths."

"I would agree with this," Whitestorm said calmly. "However, I would not persuade my leader to join Tigerstar. There is, ah, too much history going on between Tigerstar and ThunderClan for there to be any sort of agreement between the two." Whitestorm glanced back at Featherpaw, and she drew courage from his gaze.

"I'm sorry to hear you feel that way," Blackfoot mewed. He looked at Featherpaw. "Now, the other reason I wanted to talk to you…you have something of ours. Or, some _things_, I should say. One of them is in your ragtag patrol." Graystripe let out a snarl and crouched. Whitestorm gave his head the smallest of shakes and Graystripe relaxed slightly.

"I'm sorry to hear you feel that way," Whitestorm mewed, his voice carefully neutral. "But all the cats in this patrol are all aligned with ThunderClan, and will never support Tigerstar." Featherpaw felt slightly comforted as Whitestorm continued to talk. "If you feel you are entitled to any cat in ThunderClan, you are sorely mistaken, and we will fight to keep them."

"You mean like Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw?" Blackfoot sneered. "Yes, you fought _so_ hard to keep those apprentices in your Clan." A visible ripple of shock passed through the group, with the exception of Fernpaw and Featherpaw, who already knew the story. "We have two ThunderClan apprentices that came to us willingly. So, I guess that you could consider it a trade for the lives of the two cats that aren't in this patrol and used to be of TigerClan."

"And your point is?" Whitestorm asked impaitently. The tension in the air thickened, as drops of rain began to fall from the sky. Blackfoot took another step toward Whitestorm, who maintained his ground. He took another step toward the patrol. Whitestorm let out a growl, "Take one more step toward her, and I'll tear your eyes out, you mangy piece of crowfood."

Blackfoot purred, "All right, all right, Whitestorm. Have it your way." A flick of his tail sent the patrol of TigerClan cats back across the bridge. He stalked right into Whitestorm's face and growled, "Have it your way. But in four days time, you won't survive the battle. I'll make sure of it."

Whitestorm spat in Blackfoot's face. Blackfoot recoiled slightly, and headed back across the RiverClan border. "ThunderClan," Whitestorm said, his voice hard as flint. "Let's go." Featherpaw looked apprehensively back at her former home, and a knot of apprehension settled in her stomach.

She sent a quick prayer to StarClan, hoping that Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw were safe in their new home, and that they would find the happiness that she did. And, if in four days, a battle did occur, that all she knew and loved would make it out alive. The next three days went on, she, her brother and Stonefur regaining their strength. Eventually, they began helping out with the camp reinforcements, and training sessions. Slowly, they felt like they were being integrated into life in ThunderClan. To Stormpaw and Featherpaw, it felt as if they had been in the Clan their entire lives.

She enjoyed her life in the Clan, and now realized what Clan loyalty was all about. She felt tied to this Clan, and knew that both Stormpaw and Stonefur felt the same way. Featherpaw knew that she would defend it to the best of her ability when the time came.

And every night, Featherpaw would look up at the stars and take solace in the twinkling lights. She found the spirits of her ancestors (namely her mother) to be quite comforting, almost a sure sign that they were being protected. But on the third night, the night before the final dawn, she looked up at the sky before she went to sleep.

There were no stars.

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**You know shit's going to go down when there are no stars in the sky. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: By the end of this story, you guys are going to hate me. Actually, by the end of this chapter, you guys are going to hate me. You have no idea how much writing the end of this chapter absolutely gutted me though and I sort of hate myself for it and ohmygosh I can't even think straight because shit is about to get so real up in this story... **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, and I think we should all be grateful that I don't. **

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Stonefur was in a clearing, though it was an unfamiliar clearing. He was shrouded in completely darkness. For a moment, he briefly wondered if he was still in the hole by the Bonehill. "Stonefur," a voice carried on the wind. He looked around to see Bluestar standing behind him. He was not sure if he wanted to hear what she had to say. His feelings on her were still rather mixed. Stonefur could not help but remember her dying moments, begging forgiveness from him and his sister. He could respect the hard choice she had made. Yet, she still did not, and probably never would, feel like a mother to him. However, he held her gaze calmly, and waited for her to continue speaking.

"You have come far in the past few moons, rising above all that has been expected of you," a new, yet more familiar voice spoke up this time. Standing next to Bluestar was Oakheart. Stonefur longed to reach out and nuzzle his father. "And we are unbelievably proud of you." Stonefur sat up a little straighter, soaking in the praise. His father had died moons, seasons ago, and yet he still felt like an apprentice, eagerly trying to glean praise from his father. It still felt like it used to. Like he could walk on the clouds…like he could do nothing wrong, like everything was okay.

"Yet, we must ask you to do more." He turned around, knowing who exactly to expect. He would recognize that voice anywhere. It was Silverstream, StarClan perfectly preserving her in the same way his memory had. Only, the stars he had seen in her eyes and in her fur were now visible to every cat around him. His heart ached as she drew closer to him. "If the forest falls, you need to convince the cats around you to hold on to their way of life. You must be strong, if not for yourself, than for those around you."

Her scent began to overwhelm him. It reminded him of the flowers on the edge of their territory that grew near the Twoleg place. Suddenly, he realized all that he could lose, if the battle did not go well. He had not been home in days, and he would be the first to admit that those days seemed to stretch into a lifetime, and he had forgotten what his home was like. And if the battle did not go in the favor of the forest cats, he would only hold on to fleeting memories of his homeland, barely a wisp. A great hole opened up within him, and he longed to yowl mournfully at the night sky.

Yet he could not, since these great cats were asking him to remain strong. He longed to say something to Silverstream, but could not as she pressed up against him, murmuring in his ear, "Take care of my children?" His heart melted, and he flicked her ears with his tail. Featherpaw was so much like her mother in so many ways, yet his heart leapt at this moment with Silverstream. She had meant so much to him…and he tried his hardest ever day to make sure her kits survived, to make up for the fact that he had not saved her.

"Haven't I always?" he responded gently. She gave him a look of such tenderness, that he hoped he would never wake up. Seeing all these cats in this clearing reminded him of how truly alone he was back in the forest. He was the last of his kin left walking on the forest floor. He knew that, eventually, his bones would grow too weary for Featherpaw and Stormpaw and they would leave him, just as every other cat had. But, then perhaps he would have earned his place in StarClan, and could die comfortably.

But not tomorrow. Not this way. Not in this battle. He was going to make it out alive. After all, he had promised to look after Featherpaw and Stormpaw, hadn't he? He gazed lovingly into Silverstream's eyes. He had missed her so much, and there was so much he wanted to say to her. He wanted her to know that, despite his last words to her, he did not hate her, and he could never hate her. Yet, judging from the look in her eyes, she had watched as he tormented himself for moons on end, knowing that she had died thinking he hated her. It relieved him to know that she did not bear an equal resentment, and forgave him for the way they parted.

"When you're quite finished," a voice mewed, startling Stonefur from his lost love. Looking over, he was delighted to see Graypool, his foster mother. He caught the purr that was rising in his throat, taking in the look on her face. "As you know, StarClan cannot control the fate of the battle. We know as little about the future of our home as you do. We want to prepare you, not scare you. Understood?"

Something unsettled him about this. If StarClan did not know what the future would be, how could there be any forest for him to go home to after the battle? Would there be any cats to rally around to keep their way of life going? Stonefur took in a deep breath, and asked quietly, "Why me? There are four leaders in the forest, and four deputies. Even if something happened to Whitestorm or Firestar, I doubt any ThunderClan cat would really jump at the chance to follow my lead."

"It does not matter what ThunderClan-" Oakheart began to scoff, but Stonefur intervened, raising a paw for silence. It occurred to him then, how far he had come. Oakheart had immediately fallen silent, a sign that Stonefur had earned his father's respect. It was something he had wanted, ever since he was a small kit. Now that he had it…well, it meant more to him than he could possibly say. He had almost forgotten his father was waiting for him to speak up.

"Yes it does. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm not going back to RiverClan," Stonefur mewed sternly, eliciting shocked gasps from the other cats. He could faintly see the glint of pride behind Bluestar's eyes, and his whiskers twitched with amusement. "Leopardstar killed Mistyfoot. I can't go back to a Clan where that sort of memory burns in my mind. I know that Leopardstar was only doing what was best for her Clan, I do. I just…can't go back there. Not now. Not ever. Leopardstar was so quick to turn against me. I really don't think I will be able to completely trust her, and what Clan can survive when the deputy does not trust the leader?"

"You are still RiverClan's deputy!" Oakheart exclaimed, shocked by his son's proclamation. "Or have you forgotten?" He actually had forgotten he was RiverClan's deputy, but he was distracted by Bluestar shaking her head. "No?" Oakheart asked, turning to Bluestar. Every cat turned to Bluestar, evidently confused by this turn of events.

"No," she responded. "Leopardstar has just renounced Stonefur as her deputy. Her new deputy is Heavystep." Stonefur could not help but feel the strange pang of grief surge through him. He had worked so hard, his whole life, to become deputy just as his father had. Now, that had all been taken away from him, simply because he was a half-Clan cat. Yet…somehow, this made things easier. He did not have to return to RiverClan, for there was nothing him keeping there.

_How convenient…_Stonefur thought, looking at his father. Oakheart seemed frustrated and upset, yet there was nothing any cat could do about it. "Are you sure about your choice, Stonefur?" Oakheart asked his son.

He nodded. And then, just behind Graypool, was Mistyfoot. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, about how sorry he was that his sister was there and not with him. However, she just shook her head and smiled sadly at him. "I miss you," Stonefur whispered, his voice shaking. "Mistyfoot, I miss you so much." He could not help but wonder if she approved of his departure from RiverClan. If she did not approve, her eyes did not show it. They held an emotion that looked something like awe…but was there also fear? Stonefur stared at his closest companion intently, wondering: why would she be afraid for him?

"Hope is a dangerous thing to lose," Mistyfoot murmured quietly. "If the forest is to survive, then they must have something to believe in. Give them that. It does not matter which spark feeds the fire, the point is that the fire will grow." She walked over to him, pressing her nose against his fur. It was warm and comforting, like when they were kits, curled up together in the nursery.

Mistyfoot turned around, and walked back to the group of cats, who were starting to fade away. He tried to call out to them, but they were gone before he could say anything. The last thing he heard before waking up was, "The blood will cease to flow when the mountain snows come."

A harsh leaf bare wind ripped through the den, causing Stonefur to open his eyes. A gray light entered through the den. It was dawn. He gave his shoulder a quick lick before stretching out his limbs. Just outside the den, the other ThunderClan cats were weaving in amongst themselves, getting ready for the battle, making final preparations. He sat at the mouth of the den, his eyes flickering amongst the moving cats. It was hard to believe that there were cats who would not be returning from the battle. He did not, and could not imagine who would not be returning, or what life would be like without them.

He was so engrossed in his thought, that he barely noticed Featherpaw sit beside him. It wasn't until she was pressed up against him, entire body trembling that he really noticed anything going on around him. Her blue eyes were wide and scared, and her whole frame shook with the force of her trembling. But she did not look at him. She simply stared straight ahead. Stonefur licked her forehead. She didn't seem feverish. He became worried. She wasn't acting like herself.

He rested his muzzle between her ears. "It's going to be all right," he murmured. Her trembling made his jaw shake, and his teeth clacked together. "Everything is going to be all right, Featherpaw," he repeated. "I won't let anything happen to you or Stormpaw. You're going to be just fine." He stood like that for a moment, breathing in her scent. It wasn't quite Silverstream's, but it was close enough to be comforting.

Her trembling stopped. Stonefur moved his muzzle from her head. She looked up at him, all traces of fear gone from her eyes. "How do you know that?" she asked quietly. "How do you know that I'll come back from this battle? Or you will?" She looked away and mumbled, "I wasn't afraid of dying when we were back in the Bonehill. I…I almost welcomed it." Looking at her paws, she mumbled, "There were nights when I would lay awake and think how much better it would be if I just dragged my claws across my throat…"

He didn't let her finish. He couldn't bear to hear anymore. Stonefur pulled Featherpaw as close to him as he possibly could. He was almost positive that she could feel how hard his heart was pounding against his ribcage. "Don't ever say that," he said firmly. "Don't you ever say that again, Featherpaw. Perhaps things would've been better for you if you had gone to join StarClan, but what about Stormpaw and I? We need you, Featherpaw. Do you understand me, Featherpaw?" _I need you, Featherpaw_.

He could feel the bobbing of her head against his chest fur. They stayed like that for a moment more, until she headed outside of the den. "I'm gonna go get something to eat, okay?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. He nodded, flicking his tail toward the direction of the fresh kill pile. He watched as Thornclaw offered her the rabbit he was eating, and she declined it with a shake of her head, picking a small mouse from the pile. Thornclaw licked her cheek gently, before getting called away by Whitestorm. He could see the smile on Featherpaw's face grow.

Stonefur hated to admit it, but he was sort of jealous that the golden brown tom could make Featherpaw smile so softly. For the longest time, he was the only tom who had the power to do that. He frowned and shook his head. There would be, if all went well, plenty of time to think about these things later.

"She's so happy here," Stormpaw mewed quietly. Stonefur nodded at his apprentice. "I watch her move amongst the ThunderClan cats and it's like…" Stormpaw paused for a moment, frowning. "It's like she's been here her whole life." His words teemed with jealousy, and Stonefur rested his tail on his apprentice's shoulder. "Sometimes I feel like-" Stormpaw broke off, deciding that he did not want his mentor to hear whatever else he had to say, and quickly joined his sister at the fresh-kill pile.

Brightheart padded over to him, dropping a finch at his paws. "I know it's not what you're used to," she said shyly. "But you need to eat before you leave." Nodding at her gratefully, he took a large bite out of the finch. "I wish I was going," Brightheart mewed bitterly, as Stonefur continued to eat.

"Don't be too sure about that," he muttered darkly. She gave him a strange look and he mewed, "You'll never know if we need reinforcements. You never know how the battle will turn out. So don't count your mice before you've caught them." Brightheart gave her friend a concerned look, and he muttered, "It's just the hunger talking. I don't know what I'm saying." She butted his shoulder affectionately before trotting outside.

Stonefur heard Firestar's call, and walked outside of the den. His heart was pounding, the blood was roaring in his ears. He could barely hear Firestar's words, and only joined in with the loud yowls from the other cats when he noticed the determined expressions on their faces. They left the camp, heading toward Fourtrees. Just before the clearing, they met up with WindClan, and together, the Clans cats trekked into the clearing.

Tigerstar was sitting in the center of the clearing, RiverClan to his right flank, and ShadowClan to his left flank. "Bramblepaw! Tawnypaw!" Goldenflower yowled, seeing her two kits so close to Tigerstar. Stonefur had to refrain from wincing. There was no greater agony for any cat to go through than a queen to lose her kits. Sandstorm and Frostfur moved in front of the golden she-cat to stop her from leaping across the clearing to her kits.

Bramblepaw looked over at his mother sadly, shaking his head. Stonefur looked to Tigerstar, only to notice that the great tabby tom was looking at Goldenflower with an unreadable expression. Was it anger? Annoyance? Stonefur swore he saw regret flashing through the tom's amber eyes. "You," Goldenflower snarled at Tigerstar. "You stole my kits from me. I'll flay your skin, you piece of fox dung."

"Stole?" Tigerstar asked, pretending to be shocked by this accusation. "Goldenflower, you surprise me. _Our _kits came to ShadowClan quite willingly. I'd offer for you to do the same, but you don't seem to be too keen on that idea." Tigerstar ignored Goldenflower's hissing and spitting, turning to Firestar and Deadstar. "Well, then. You've thought about my offer, yes? What have you decided?"

"We'll never join you," Firestar growled. "After everything you've done, we could never join up with a murderous traitor like you."

"Oh, you mean how I killed Redtail, set up a trap for Bluestar but instead crippled Cinderpelt, tried to assassinate Bluestar, killed Runningwind and sent a pack of dogs after you?" Tigerstar listed his deeds as if he were merely talking about how cold the day was. Looking at Stonefur, a taunting smirk spread on his face and he added, "Oh, and I ordered the slaughter of a reputable warrior, and I murdered an apprentice only yesterday."

Many cats in the clearing, mostly those from WindClan and RiverClan, looked horrified at what the leader had done. Stonefur saw Firestar look at Leopardstar hopefully, but he knew from experience that his former leader would not raise a paw against Tigerstar. Stormpaw's fur was bristling uneasily as he looked at Leopardstar, and the air was thick with tension.

Tigerstar let out a dramatic sigh, "Not even you, Deadstar?" The black cat shook his head resolutely. "Very well then," Tigerstar sighed, flicking his tail. Cats came from all sides of the clearing, and creating a large perimeter around all four Clans. From what Stonefur could tell, more cats were piling into Fourtrees than there were in the entire forest. Firestar and Tallstar exchanged shocked looks. "Have you changed your mind, Firestar? Deadstar? I'd hate to have another Gorsepaw happen on your watch. BloodClan isn't as kind to apprentices as I am," Tigerstar mewed silkily.

"My Clan will join yours when StarClan walks among us," Firestar growled, every hair on his pelt bristling with unsuppressed rage. The ThunderClan warriors yowled their agreement, and even Stonefur joined in with them. He would die before he joined with Tigerstar, and he knew many of the cats he stood with now whole heartedly agreed with him.

"If you think that StarClan will save you, you're wrong, Firestar. Dead wrong," Tigerstar mewed. "It's a shame, really. Since you have no kits of your own, perhaps I should order my BloodClan warriors to attack little Stormpaw and Featherpaw. After all, if it wasn't for Darkstripe's failure, they wouldn't be standing with you now." Graystripe let out a gasp, and immediately crouched into a defensive position. Stonefur stood protectively in front of Featherpaw and Stormpaw, as he did in the clearing in front of the Bonehill. Only this time, an entire Clan was willing to protect these cats with him.

Thornclaw stood next to Featherpaw, his golden tabby fur barely brushing against her silver fur. It reminded Stonefur of the leaves that swirled against the sky in early leaf-fall. Of a day, as an apprentice, that he had spent with Silverstream. But it did not matter now. What mattered now was that at any moment, Tigerstar could order an attack against the two cats he cared about more than anything walking in the forest with him.

"Well, well," Tigerstar smirked, seeing the angry reactions of the ThunderClan cats. "I think we have a winner, don't you?" He flicked his tail at a massive black and white tom. "Attack," Tigerstar ordered. The tom didn't move, his eyes flickering to a small black cat beside him. Stonefur shivered as he made direct eye contact with the small black tom. The tom had icy blue eyes, and there was something about his whole demeanor that put Stonefur off. "I'm waiting, Bone," Tigerstar turned to face the massive black and white cat, who remained motionless.

The little black cat's tail twitched, but no emotion showed on his face. He stepped forward, his pawsteps barely skimming the grass. He sat in the center of the clearing, slightly in front of Tigerstar, but so that all could see him. "Tigerstar, my warriors attack when I tell them to, and not a moment before," he growled. "I am Scourge, leader of BloodClan. And no cat controls me."

Scourge whipped around and slashed Tigerstar, scoring him from neck to tail tip. Tigerstar fell over and let out a gargled gasp. Then, all was still for a minute, until Tigerstar repeated that same sickening noise before being still once more. At first, Stonefur could not fathom that such a small cat could inflict such a terrible wound. Then the small cat lifted his paw up, to clean the blood off. Stonefur gasped: the tom's claws were reinforced with dog's teeth.

Every cat stared at Tigerstar, their eyes wide with shock. Finally, after what seemed like seasons of him gasping and choking, the great tabby tom lay still. Silence overcame the cats in the clearing. The greatest threat or what they had thought to be the greatest threat to the forest was lying dead before them, his blood seeping into the roots of the trees. "This is what happens to those that try to cross BloodClan," Scourge mewed calmly. "I feel sorry that this foolish cat brought this upon you."

"We don't wish to fight," Firestar mewed, trying to keep the plea out of his voice. "All we want to do is life in the forest in peace. Please, feel free to hunt before you leave."

"Leave?" Scourge let out a derisive laugh that left many cats' fur bristling uneasily. "I'm not going anywhere, tree-climber. I own this forest now, and don't you dare try to stop me." Immediately, the cats that had created a perimeter came to stand behind their leader, and the TigerClan cats began to flee the clearing.

"Ashpaw," Firestar ordered. "You're the fastest. Go back to camp and send for the reinforcements. Hurry!" The gray tom shot off and sped through the undergrowth. There were no other WindClan cats that could possibly fight, Stonefur reasoned, and was unsurprised when no WindClan cat stirred from their ranks.

"RiverClan!" Leopardstar yowled, and the RiverClan cats stopped uneasily in their tracks. She came to stand beside Firestar and Deadstar. Her warriors soon joined her, with the exception of one apprentice who Stonefur had seen been told something by a senior warrior, presumably to bring the cats that were at camp. "We must fight the menace that threatens our home."

Meanwhile, the ShadowClan cats were struggling to leave the clearing, tripping over each other and pushing each other out of the way, to escape what had killed their formerly invincible leader. Stonefur, in the strangest sense, pitied them. While it was no excuse, they had been following orders, and now that no cat was in charge, they were quite lost.

"ShadowClan!" The yowl rose above the treetops. The fleeing cats stopped dead, almost smashing into each other in shock. Everyone stared at young Bramblepaw, who seemed so nervous to have the eyes of the entire forest on him. "Are we so cowardly that we can't fight against the cat that killed our leader?" He looked so much like his now deceased father that some cats could not help but be intimidated, and slink back toward Fourtrees. Bramblepaw walked over and stood beside the leaders of the other three Clans. With a nod, Blackfoot beckoned the rest of the Clan, and he took Bramblepaw's place at the head of ShadowClan.

"Bad move," Scourge growled. With a loud yowl, the two sides of the clearing launched at each other. The great battle for the forest had begun.

It was a great mass of confusion, cats writhing and struggling against each other. It was an intense fray, and Stonefur was already confused by the sheer amount of cats he was fighting beside. It was hard to fight a majority of the other cats his whole life, only to fight beside them in what was probably going to be the largest battle in the history of the forest.

Amidst all the yowling, screeching and writhing, there was an eerie sense of calm. The electrical charge that had coursed through the air as the cats ran at each other had settled as the cats systematically clawed and nipped at each other. It was a reflex that they had all fallen into, and it occurred to Stonefur that while the forest cats were trying to defend their home, these cats were fighting for a life they had never had.

Stonefur grappled with a lithe white she-cat. Her claws scored across his scarred ears and he responded with a sharp bite to her shoulder. She swiped furiously at him, her claws nicking the side of his muzzle. With a fierce shake of his head, he launched himself at her, bowling her over. He scratched at her soft underbelly, and she kicked him off of her. He landed with a hard thud on the ground, and his head momentarily swam. She loomed over him, claws unsheathed and ready to strike. He tried to get up, but his head swam and he was seeing triple of the she-cat. He could only stare blankly ahead. _I'm so sorry, Silverstream…I failed you._

Suddenly, a blur drove past him, knocking the she-cat off of her paws. It was Ashpaw, returned with the ThunderClan reinforcements! Stonefur's head cleared, and he raced over to aid Ashpaw, but watching the white she-cat run off into the undergrowth, decided that the apprentice needed no help from him.

He wheeled around to see Brightheart and Cloudtail fighting side by side, as she used her technique to keep her enemy insight. Cloudtail was wrestling with a massive tabby tom, who was trying to make his mark on Cloudtail. Without warning, another cat came up beside Cloudtail and ripped him away from Brightheart's side. Realizing what would happen before it did; Stonefur shot forward, his paws trying to propel him to the she-cat's side.

A burly gray tom landed on his back, forcibly pinning him down. He tried to wrestle the other cat off, but could only watch in horror as a cream colored cat crept up behind Brightheart, as her attention was focused on her original opponent, a spotted tom. "Brightheart!" he yowled, but it was too late. The cream colored cat slashed Brightheart's throat, and the she-cat crumpled to the forest floor. "No!" Stonefur yowled; rage gave him all the strength he needed to push off the weight that was pinning him down.

He ran to her side, his heart pounding in his ears. He prayed to StarClan that she was all right, that he had only imagined seeing her throat get torn. He could not lose her, not now. She was the only friend in ThunderClan he really had, and he had such a connection with her. The ache in his heart grew as he realized he could not see the rise and fall of her breathing. Stonefur nosed the she-cat gently, waiting for her to start and rejoin the battle, but to no avail. "Brightheart," he crooned softly, his voice becoming cracked and hoarse. "Brightheart, please…wake up." Yet, she would not stir, and numbness settled through Stonefur as he closed her eyes gently with his tongue.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out all the sounds of the battle, trying to stop time for one moment to accept the fact that Brightheart, the one cat in ThunderClan he had any sort of connection with, was gone.

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**Don't laugh at me when I write this, but...I cried when I killed Brightheart. :( And it gets worse from here. The deaths do not stop, and there is one death in the next chapter that I can't get past. Like, seriously, it's all written out, but I just can't bring myself to get past it. **


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter was hard. This chapter was very very very hard to write. And to get through. And literally, I cried several times because I couldn't believe that I was actually doing this. When this story started, I made an 'anyone can die' policy. And boy, did I stick to my guns...**

* * *

Stonefur couldn't move. He couldn't think. He could barely breathe. Brightheart was dead, slain by one of the mangy cats from the Twolegplace. Wildly, he looked around for the cream colored cat, but could not find him. Stonefur sheathed and unsheathed his claws in frustration. He wanted revenge. It grew in his chest until it seared his whole body, a burning revenge that made him numb to the battle around him.

Cloudtail came up beside him, every hair on his fluffy white pelt bristling in horror at the loss of his one love. Cloudtail let out a mournful howl, "Brightheart!" It echoed around the clearing, bouncing off all the trees. And for one moment, Stonefur hoped that the battle would cease, and realize that all this bloodshed was pointless. That both sides would retract their claws and all would be well. But alas, Brightheart's death seemed unnoticed by the other cats fighting. Cloudtail's desperate cry had been lost in the roaring tidal wave that was the battle.

"Brightheart," Cloudtail nosed her cheek gently, his voice soft. Suddenly, Cloudtail seemed so small, so fragile. At any moment, a BloodClan cat could sneak up behind him and then…well, then he would have shared the same fate as Brightheart, wouldn't he? "Brightheart, you have to come back to me. You're a fighter. You came back to me after those dogs attacked you. I need you here, Brightheart. You can't leave me. You can't," Cloudtail repeatedly begged the she-cat.

Stonefur saw the wild hope in the young tom's blue eyes that Brightheart would just spring up from the ground and return to the fighting. That everything would go back as it had been, before the battle started. When there had been that desperate dream that they would all magically make it out alive. There would be no pain or fear in that place either. Just the way things were supposed to go, if they were fighting another Clan.

The way things never could be.

A loud yowl drew his attention away from Brightheart. His former apprentice, Shadepelt, was trying to fight Scourge. _Mouse-brain! _Stonefur thought, raising his paw in anticipation should he need to race over to her side, and in the blink of an eye, the dark gray she-cat had fallen before Scourge's mighty claws. Scourge left the she-cat with a satisfied smirk, locking eyes briefly with Stonefur before disappearing into the mass of swarming cats. Stonefur padded over to his former apprentice. "Go safely to StarClan," he murmured, licking her ear gently. Her tail curled around his ears, and she opened her mouth to speak, but the words were drowned by a horrific gargling noise. She flailed and struggled to breathe before she limply fell back.

_She had been such a good warrior_, he thought with an angry twitch of his tail. _How could her life be cut short so soon? StarClan, help us! _It wasn't fair. Not in the slightest bit. Yet, he knew there would be many young warriors whose lives would be cut short from this battle. With a sigh, Stonefur threw himself back into the battle.

As he raced into the dead center of the fray, he noticed that Brightheart and Shadepelt had not been the only casualties of their side. Firestar was gently closing Morningflower's eyes, and murmuring, "You will be with your son now, Morningflower. You did your best to avenge Gorsepaw, and StarClan will honor you for it." Stonefur had only heard stories from Graystripe about when Firestar had carried Morningflower's kit across the Thunderpath, upon bringing WindClan back to their territory. Now both cats were gone; one from Tigerstar, and the other from what the massive tabby had unleashed upon the forest.

Pain flashed briefly in the ThunderClan leader's eyes, before he wheeled around and rejoined the battle, fighting with a new ferocity. _So that's what it means to be a leader, _Stonefur thought. _Pressing on when all seems lost, hopeless even. I would never imagine that a kittypet would ever have the strength to do what a Clan leader can. Then again, that is why Bluestar chose him. The fire that is going to save the Clan. _Watching his leader fight back, he wondered if Firestar knew Brightheart was dead. _Would that fuel the fire in his heart, or would he just shut down?_

Stonefur looked bleakly around the battle ground. Just beyond Morningflower's body, Runningnose was tending to Russetfur, who would not, and it seemed could not, move from where she lay. Stonefur tried to well up some pity for the she-cat, but find that he had none for her. She had been one of his captors, and he would never truly forgive the cats that had imprisoned him. Featherpaw was racing by the dying she-cat, before skidding to a sudden stop as Russetfur called out weakly to her. Stonefur watch a flood of emotions cross Featherpaw's face as Russetfur spoke to her, words that he could not hear. He longed to go over there, and see what was happening, but somehow he knew those words were meant for Featherpaw, and only Featherpaw.

And then Featherpaw nodded slowly, licking Russetfur between the ears, a soft look passing through her bright blue eyes. Stonefur could not help but feel a jerk of surprise at Featherpaw's action, and clearly he wasn't the only one, judging by the look on Runningnose's face. A rush of pride raced through him as he looked at Featherpaw. She was a noble cat, just like her mother, and clearly a much better cat than he. Then he faintly heard Russetfur purr, before it was cut short by a several gasps. Then, her eyes closed, she sighed peacefully, and did not move again.

Blackfoot was looking sorrowfully at the dark ginger she-cat, as Littlecloud gently dragged her body out of the clearing. _Why can't somebody see that this is getting us nowhere? _Stonefur longed to cry out. Yet, he saw the BloodClan cats that were now littering the clearing as well. These rogue cats did not care to move their dead. They did not care about who lived and who died. For these strangers, it was survival of the fittest, and Stonefur wondered if their way of life really made them stronger than the Clan cats.

Already, the forest cats had forsaken a part of their warrior code to fight these strangers. Normally, cats would not kill each other, even in the heat of battle. But this…it was an almost necessary evil. They had to fight blood with blood. _The blood will cease to flow when the mountain snows come. _The prophecy rang in his ears, and Stonefur could not help stealing a look at the gray sky above them. Perhaps not all was lost. Perhaps, they could still win this fight. New energy and strength flowed into his paws, and his head began to buzz with the roar of battle around him.

Stonefur shook his head as he saw Graystripe taking on three cats at once. He raced to the side of his Clanmate, praying to StarClan that something would happen, and soon, so that the forest cats could win the right to their home. He did not know how the Clans would survive without the forest, and what would happen if the invading force won. Together, the two gray toms beat back their opponents, fighting side by side, pawstep for pawstep, as if they had been fighting together their whole lives. It was a reassuring thought; not all his ties in ThunderClan were gone with the death of Brightheart.

Then, trying to sneak away from the battle, he saw the cream colored cat. With a yowl, he launched himself across the clearing, but halfway there, he saw Featherpaw and Bramblepaw tackle the creamy tom, and tried to pin him down. When it was evident that he was too strong for Featherpaw and Bramblepaw, after the cream tom picked up Bramblepaw by the scruff of his neck and threw him up against a tree, Stonefur bunched his muscles and prepared to leap across the clearing. But there was no need. Fernpaw, Ashpaw, Tawnypaw, Dawnpaw, Cedarpaw, and Rowanpaw charged at the creamy tom, nipping at every part of him they could. Featherpaw rushed over to Bramblepaw's side, and once it was clear that he was okay, the two cats joined the other apprentices. Finally, the cream colored tom moved no more, and Stonefur could only feel the grimmest sense of satisfaction in his bones. Still, he would not be happy until all of BloodClan was driven out. Turning around, he saw Whitestorm trying to wrestle Bone, the massive black and white BloodClan deputy, and Stonefur leaped to the white warrior's side. The three cats wrestled together until Bone slipped away, glaring angrily at Whitestorm before charging into another part of the battle.

Across the battlefield, Stormpaw was fighting a she-cat who appeared to be twice his size. Bravely he tackled her, and bit down on her shoulder. She let out a howl of pain, and flailed furiously, trying to land her claws on his throat. When it was evident that she would not succeed, Stormpaw let her go, and she fled into the bushes. He had no idea whether she could go anywhere or not, and he felt a little tremor of shock that he even cared at all.

He had no time to reflect, however, as he saw the sheer force of cats that kept piling into the clearing. He let out a small mew of distress. Stormpaw longed to flop down and just give up on the entire battle, but he knew he count not, and he forced himself to move forward. These cats were counting on him to keep going, and he would fight with them until he drew his very last breath. He was aiming to be a warrior, and that's what warriors did. They protected the Clan that they made an oath to. Now that all the Clans had banded together, he was fighting to protect the forest.

A brown tom crashed into him, taking the breath away from his lungs. Claws unsheathed, Stormpaw and the tom scratched at each other. Stormpaw let out a hiss of pain as the tom's claws snagged his ear. He ducked around another scratch, clawing his attacker's muzzle. Swiftly, he slipped beneath the brown tom and scratched his underbelly. The brown tom struck out, and Stormpaw let out a loud meow of surprise as he was knocked over. A large paw was placed on his throat, and he could feel the tips of claws pressing up against his throat.

"Get your mangy claws off him, you piece of crowfood," Goldenflower snarled, knocking the brown tom off of Stormpaw. Stormpaw could only watch in amazement as Goldenflower and the brown tom went at it, clawing each other and biting each other ferociously. Unfortunately for Goldenflower, the brown tom knocked her on her side and dragged his claws across her throat. Stormpaw propelled himself forward, knocking the brown tom over and biting down on his throat.

It was only when the tom lay still that Stormpaw had realized the magnitude of what he had done. He had never meant to take the life of this other cat. Yet he could not find any sort of emotion, as he stared down at his dead enemy. He was simply numb. It wasn't until Goldenflower coughed out his name that he remembered where he was, and all that was happening around him.

Stormpaw raced over to Goldenflower, finding her alive, but struggling to breathe. "Hold on, Goldenflower," Stormpaw begged. He looked around wildly, for Cinderpelt, for any medicine cat, for any cat at that point, to come save the cat that had just saved his life. "I'll go get Cinderpelt for you. Please, just hold on, Goldenflower."

Goldenflower smiled gently at him and murmured softly, "You know, when you were born, your father brought you to ThunderClan and asked me to nurse you. Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw were only a few days old. Yes…I remember like it was yesterday," her voice trailed off and she stared at something Stormpaw could not see. For what seemed like a lifetime, she remained that way, and Stormpaw thought perhaps she had died in mid-speech, until she spoke again, "You were both so small then, so helpless. But not now. Certainly not now."

"Please, Goldenflower," Stormpaw mewed hoarsely, nudging the tortieshell she-cat. "You can't give up. Not now! We'll win, you'll see!" He looked around the battlefield, until he saw Cinderpelt and beckoned her over frantically with his tail. "Cinderpelt is coming now, Goldenflower," he tried to reassure Goldenflower and himself. He licked her ears gently. "You're going to be fine. You're going to be just fine. You can't give up. We need you here, we need you to fight!"

She ignored him, still staring vacantly across the battlefield, and a peaceful smile on her muzzle. "I have always been so proud of you and your sister, Stormpaw. You have become fine young warriors, and I'm sure Mossflower is delighted to call yourself her mother. And Silverstream… I'm sure she's proud of you too. She has no reason not to be. But she will tell me so when I see her."

"Don't talk like that. Please, don't talk like that," Stormpaw whispered; his voice so choked that he could barely get the words out. Part of him wondered if he had even said them at all, the echo of his words nothing more than the product of his frantic mind. He looked behind him to see Cinderpelt struggling through the battle. He lashed his tailed agitatedly, looking between Goldenflower and Cinderpelt. "Cinderpelt's almost here, she'll fix you right up!" He licked Goldenflower between the ears. "You'll be-"

The words died in his mouth as Goldenflower looked at him solemnly. He wanted to yowl his grief at the sky. He could not let her die, not when he was sitting right beside her! And yet, he was powerless to stop it. "I never knew what Tigerstar was capable of," Goldenflower whispered quietly, staring straight ahead at something Stormpaw could not see. "He never acted around the other cats like he acted around me. I always assumed it was a front he put up so that cats would never doubt his weakness. And now my children…they must hate me for what I've brought upon them. My Clan must hate me for the legacy I've left behind…"

"Tigerstar fooled everyone," Stormpaw murmured quietly, his eyes fixated on his paws. "And you raised your children right. They made their own decisions, and can grow up on their own. They are lucky to have you as a mother, and I think they know that. I think that…" Stormpaw swallowed, for the lump in his throat was becoming unbearable. "They will always appreciate you, and they will always love you. Featherpaw and I will, too. I'll make sure to tell her of all that you did for us and how you feel toward us. We'll never forget you, Goldenflower. I swear by StarClan, we won't forget you."

But his words fell on deaf ears as Goldenflower let out a sigh and slumped into the earth, her fur mixing in with the dead leaves that were scattered on the floor of the hollow. Cinderpelt scrabbled up, looking quickly from Goldenflower to Stormpaw and back again. "It's too late," Stormpaw whispered. "She's gone." He placed his muzzle on her forehead and murmured, "Don't fear what you didn't know about Tigerstar. StarClan will understand."

And Stormpaw could have sworn he saw two she-cats on the edge of the battlefield, one silver tabby and one tortieshell, looking straight added. He blinked, and they were gone, though Stormpaw felt strangely comforted. This comfort, however, did not subdue his grief. He whirled around and raced back into the battle. The gut-wrenching, stricken cries of Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw, as they stumbled upon the body of their dead mother, hit his ears with the force of a tree falling down on him, yet it seemed so far away from him, so removed. The feeling of his paws pounding against the ground was cathartic and the battle around him nothing more than a blur. He wanted run away from the forest. He wanted to be numb.

Tripping over a tail of another cat derailed him from his thoughts. Looking at the body at his paws, Stormpaw longed to scream, but do nothing but stare in horror. He could recognize that fur anywhere; it was Leopardstar's. She was dead, killed by the force that she had nearly sided with. And he, nor his sister or Stonefur, had gotten he chance to say that they had forgiven her. He hoped that StarClan would judge her fairly. Quickly, Stormpaw bowed his head and sent a quick prayer for her.

"StarClan help us," Stonefur came up beside his apprentice, his blue eyes reflecting the shock in Stormpaw's entire posture. He walked over and licked their former leader's eyes shut. The poor gray scrap looked at his mentor miserably, and Stonefur responded, "Courage, Stormpaw. Your sister is still here; your father is still here. Your friends are still here. Move forward and keep fighting. Don't give up. Nobody else has, so you shouldn't either."

Stormpaw nodded quietly, and wheeled around and charged back into the battle. A fierce rush of pride lanced Stonefur, and he watched his apprentice go, fighting with all the strength of LionClan. Stonefur looked sorrowfully down at his former leader. "I forgive you," he whispered quietly. "Mistyfoot will forgive you."

He then did a quick surveillance of the area around him. While the fighting had surely slowed, both sides were taking heavy hits, and it was obvious that the forest cats were losing steam. They were giving it all they had to give, yet more and more cats from BloodClan were pounding into the hollow. He couldn't blame his apprentice's hopelessness, yet there was no way he could condone it.

"Stonefur!" Firestar yowled. Stonefur darted over to his leader's side; his ears pricked and prepared to follow orders. In a low voice, Firestar murmured, "I saw you standing by Leopardstar's body. Is she dead?" Momentarily overwhelmed with grief, Stonefur could not speak, and simply nodded. Leopardstar had been a fine leader, and he had been proud to serve as her deputy for the time that it was. It was only her ambition that had truly been the end of her, and his heart broke in his chest to think that it needed to end that way.

Then Firestar asked the question that threw Stonefur off guard. "So are you RiverClan's leader now? Will you go back to them?" He seemed very anxious to hear Stonefur's decision. And even despite this anxiety, he still held a semblance of composition, making him seem like a true leader of the forest. And Firestar had stood by his convictions, unlike Leopardstar, who had given her Clan and her life away from a sliver of power.

"No," Stonefur found his voice after a minute. "Heavystep is their leader now, and despite all that happened I will never go back to RiverClan. ThunderClan is my home now, and I'll die fighting to protect it. You can appreciate that, can't you Firestar? You were not born in this forest, but you're sacrificing all your lives to save it."

Firestar nodded and looked at Stonefur thoughtfully. "Can this day be won?" he asked. Stonefur felt a rush of gratitude within him. Firestar was consulting him, as a ThunderClan senior warrior. As if he had been a part of the Clan his entire life.

"Not unless Scourge is dead," Stonefur mewed grimly. He did not mention the prophecy. He did not want Firestar to hinge all of his hopes on the prophecy, and StarClan forbid if he was wrong. He did not want to be wrong, in fact, he prayed to StarClan that he was right, but until then, he felt uncomfortable sharing this prophecy with Firestar. "These cats don't really seem to function as a unit. They just seem to be working together out of fear or admiration of him." Both cats nearly jumped as a loud yowl interrupted their conversation.

Speckletail and Whitestorm were both trying to fight off Jaggedtooth, who had joined BloodClan at some point during the batttle. He knocked Speckletail away with the easiest of blows. Rage at the former ShadowClan warrior gave speed to his paws, and Stonefur bolted across the battlefield, and picked up the elderly she-cat in his jaws. "What are you doing?" she rasped. "I need to fight! I'm not some old, worn out that can't handle herself."

"I'm sure you can handle yourself just fine, but right now, I'm saving your life," Stonefur responded through a mouth full of fur. Speckletail let out a rumbling purr and shook her head, comfortably letting herself be pulled along toward Fernpaw, who was helping Cinderpelt with the cats who had been wounded in the battle. "Fernpaw, where's Cinderpelt?" he asked, fearing that she had been slain.

"I'm right here," Cinderpelt mewed roughly, hobbling toward them. "Go ahead, Fernpaw," she excused the apprentice. "They need all the claws they can get out there." Fernpaw gave the medicine cat a questioning look, and Cinderpelt flicked her tail toward the battlefield. After Fernpaw had left, Cinderpelt turned to Stonefur. "She's dead," she murmured, gesturing to Speckletail quietly. Speckletail had died from being knocked around, both by Bone and when Stonefur had tried to drag her to safety.

They both stood in complete silence for a minute. Poor, brave Speckletail, who had wanted nothing more than to defend her Clan, not wanting to admit that she was too old for this fight. Stonefur felt a tremor of guilt pass through him. He had been indirectly responsible for her death. "We can't go on much more like this," she whispered. "There's a lot of them, and there's a significant lack of us."

"I know but we have to try," Stonefur responded, resting his tail on her shoulder. "We can't just be driven from our homes. WindClan was already sent away from the forest once…they wouldn't let themselves be driven out again."

"Look around you, Stonefur!" Cinderpelt snapped. "We've already lost Goldenflower, Speckletail and Brightheart from our own Clan. Leopardstar is dead, Tigerstar had been killed before the battle, Deadstar has already lost some lives, and so has Firestar. Russetfur is dead, Shadepelt is dead, and Morningflower is dead…" She paused as the enormity of lives lost hit her. Stonefur pressed his nose comfortingly in her fur. "How much longer can we go on like this?"

"Until they leave or until the last cat of the Clans falls," Stonefur responded resolutely. His heart was pounding in chest. What exactly was Cinderpelt trying to say?

"And what about the kits? What about the elders?" Cinderpelt asked quietly. Stonefur had not thought about that. "Who will take care of them when we're all dead?" she prompted him. "I don't want to give up, trust me, Stonefur. But…no one has seemed to really think it through on what happens because of it."

He could not answer her question, because he couldn't think of a reasonable answer. If they managed to win the day, then it would all be worth it, that much was obvious. If they all failed and died, then the kits and the elders were dead as well. But, if they lived and failed, would it be a world that the elders and kits could live in?

Stonefur opened his mouth to say something comforting, but only could follow Cinderpelt's gaze as she stared in abject horror across the hollow. Brackenfur and Thornclaw were fighting side by side over a mound of white fur. It was then he realized the white mound of fur was Frostfur, and that she had been killed by BloodClan warriors. "We won't let it end this way," he promised Cinderpelt, licking her muzzle comfortingly. "We'll win the day…you'll see." Then he walked over to Speckletail, and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

He looked up, and saw Jaggedtooth strike down Whitestorm with a triumphant cry. The white warrior would not stir, and Jaggedtooth smirked as he prepared to deliver the finishing blow. "Coward!" Stonefur yowled and sprang toward Jaggedtooth, knocking the other cat over.

The two cats claws and screeched at each other for a few moments, until a silver blur knocked into Jaggedtooth. It was Fatherpaw. She touched her nose to Stonefur's flank and mewed, "Go see to Whitestorm, I'll deal with him." Stormpaw, Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw all joined Featherpaw in her fight against Jaggedtooth, and Stonefur went over to Whitestorm, satisfied that the four apprentices could handle anything as long as they were together.

"You look just like your mother," Whitestorm mewed softly, barely picking up his head to look at Stonefur. "Did you know that your mother and my mother were sisters? So that makes us like brothers, in a sense…" Stonefur merely nodded, unable to say anything. In the time that he had spent in ThunderClan, he had come to respect Whitestorm more than he could possibly could say.

"So it does," Stonefur mewed softly. "So it does."

"Whitestorm!" Firestar and Graystripe had just joined them. "Hold on, Whitestorm! You can't die! The Clan needs you here! I need you here! Who will help me lead the Clan if you're not here?"

Whitestorm smiled softly and murmured quietly, "You know who you want to help you lead the Clan. He's been here long enough. You won't have to worry about anyone's judgment. They'll understand, Firestar…I promise they'll understand."

"Whitestorm…" Firestar whispered in an anguished voice. "No. You're my deputy. You can't leave me just yet. Don't go…"

"I'll send your love to Spottedleaf, then?" Whitestorm murmured. The light flickered in his yellow eyes for a moment before it died out.

Firestar sat for a moment, shoulders hunched, looking at the ground. Then, looking up at the sky, he spoke, so loudly that everyone in the clearing could hear him. "I say these words before the body of Whitestorm, so that his spirit may hear and approve my choice." He paused for a long moment, making sure that his warrior ancestors were listening.

"Stonefur will be the new deputy of ThunderClan." Firestar's green eyes were on him, filled with respect and trust. Graystripe eagerly nodded; the acceptance and approval was written all over his face. Stormpaw and Featherpaw looked at him with shining eyes, stopping only for a moment in their battle with Jaggedtooth.

But nothing warmed Stonefur's heart more than the yowls of approval that came from the ThunderClan cats that were scattered throughout the battlefield.

* * *

**...so that happened. Next chapter is worse. And if you're sitting there wondering how it can possibly get worse, just you wait. **

**Also, there's foreshadowing in here for Life and Death. I won't tell you where, but it's there.**


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